


Masters of the Mind Meld

by muses_circle, xtremeroswellian



Series: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala [9]
Category: Smallville, Supernatural
Genre: 33.1, Awkwardness, Blowjobs, Discussions of mental illness, F/M, Friendship, Mind Reading, Sam's visions, Vaginal Sex, Victoria's Secrets, feelings of hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:14:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muses_circle/pseuds/muses_circle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: "Sam has a new power," Chloe said quietly, gazing at him for a moment before shifting her gaze to Sarah and then Dean, watching the shock register on both their faces.Dean glanced at Sam. "New power?" he whispered, his eyes shifting between him and Chloe. "What power?"
Relationships: Chloe Sullivan & Sam Winchester, Chloe Sullivan & Sarah Blake, Chloe Sullivan/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Sarah Blake/Sam Winchester
Series: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1722754
Kudos: 1





	Masters of the Mind Meld

Five days passed and Sarah saw Savannah, Georgia pass before her eyes. She welcomed civilization, especially since Chloe and Dean had barely spoken a sentence to each other the entire time. That left the monumental task up to her and Sam to keep things light. Yeah, as if that was possible, she thought, pushing open the door to her and Chloe's new hotel room.

"This is definitely the place to stay,” she said to Chloe, taking in the plush furnishings of the bed and breakfast she had insisted they stay in. "At least there’ll be a nice bathtub to soak in." 

"I could definitely use a hot bubble bath," she said grimly, setting her bags on the floor by the far bed and lying down on it, closing her eyes. 

"After a week straight of back roads and smelly hotels, I could use a lot of rest and relaxation... and research." She put her stuff down and immediately grabbed her laptop. 

"Careful, Sarah. You're starting to sound like Sam," she responded with a grin, her eyes remaining shut. "You know, all work and no play..." 

"... makes Sarah a dull girl, I know," she replied sheepishly, sitting down. "It's all Sam's fault, you know. This whole being part demon thing has peaked my curiosity. Besides, it's taken my mind off... other things." She chewed on her lip a little and smoothed back her hair. 

Chloe sat up slowly, her eyebrows furrowing. "Sarah..." 

She shook her head. "It's okay, Chloe. I know how much Dean hurt you. At least you told me what he said, and I gotta say, that'd make me wanna run off, too." She didn't look at her friend but kept her eyes on her laptop screen as it booted up. 

"No, I just...I remembered something," she murmured, slowly rising to her feet and beginning to pace the floor. "From back at the factory before..." She waved a hand in the air. "Before the shit hit the fan." 

Turning around, Sarah found the blonde walking back and forth around the room. It reminded her of Dean when he got anxious about something, but she decided to keep that to herself. "What's wrong?" she asked instead. 

"Before we saved their asses...I remember hearing them whisper, trying to decide what they were gonna take from whom." She turned to look at Sarah. "One said they couldn't take the taller one's heart because it was too pure." 

It took her a moment to remember one of those freaks saying that. A slow smile crept over her lips. "Yeah, I remember that, too, now that you mention it." She looked up at Chloe. "How do you think they knew? If that's true, then... no way could Sam be evil." 

"Yeah, somehow I don't think purity of heart makes for a demonic qualification." She held Sarah's gaze. 

"Me either," she replied, standing up. "Think we should tell Sam? I mean... it might make him feel better." God knew they needed someone happy among the four of them. 

"Will he believe us? That's the question." 

She looked at Chloe, her eyes glazed with worry and doubt. "I think he might," she whispered, "if we maybe found out how they knew his heart was pure." 

"Maybe one of them was psychic," Chloe murmured. 

"It's possible, even though it's kinda hard not to look at Sam and see into his heart." She blushed a little at her own words, looking down at her feet and suddenly wishing they were still dealing with the gnome/mushroom issue back in New York. 

She was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry things have been so tense," she whispered. 

"You and Dean really need to make up, Chloe," she replied softly. "I mean... you know I'll totally support whatever you decide to do, but..." She looked back up at her friend, who looked both sorry and frustrated. "Is there anything I can do to help?" 

"Not really." Her voice was quiet. "The feelings aren't a problem. It's...the trust thing that is." She shrugged a little, exhaling slowly. "So you're gonna start researching again?" 

"Yeah, Dean really screwed up, didn't he?" she asked, sitting back down. "I think research is the best thing right now, followed by getting a bottle of wine, a hot soak in the tub, and then bed." Her voice sounded weary already, but since it was still only early afternoon, she needed something to whittle away the time, especially since Sam probably had his hands full with Dean. 

"I'll help with the research in a little while. I think I'm gonna...take a walk. Get some fresh air." She managed a faint smile as she headed for the door. "I've got my cell on if you need to get a hold of me." 

"Hey, same goes for you," she replied, watching the blonde leave the room, her brows heavy with worry. Dean had done a very stupid thing, and to be honest, Sarah didn't know if Chloe would ever learn to trust him again. And he should have known that.

&&&&&

"Okay, this place is too girlie for me," Dean complained as he and Sam walked into the room next to the girls'. This was the last place he wanted to crash, but the look Sarah had given him left no room for argument. 

"Well, just get over it. They needed a place to relax and unwind after...everything," he said vaguely, tossing his bag onto one of the beds. "And you're pretty much already in the doghouse with them both, so you should probably just keep your mouth shut, Dean." 

Like he needed the reminder, he thought, walking to the window that overlooked downtown Savannah. "Yeah, I probably ruined the best thing I've ever had, dude." He kept his eyes outside, not wanting his brother to see the pain reflected in his eyes. He was tired. So tired. Maybe the break from hunting... from Chloe's anger... might be the best thing for him. 

Sam let out a breath, gazing at his brother for a moment. Truth be told, he was shocked when he found out what his brother had said to the pretty blonde who'd saved their lives, and he was more than a little inclined to rip into his brother. But sensing how guilty Dean felt about that bit of leaked stupidity, he realized he didn't need to hear it. Not from Sam, anyway. "Why don't you get some rest? I think I'm gonna go for a walk, check things out a bit." 

"Yeah, whatever," he replied absently, wondering how the other three would react to his grabbing a cab, taking off, and never looking back. Surely they'd be better off without him. 

"I'll be back soon," Sam said, gazing at his brother a moment longer before heading out the door. 

Dean didn't turn around, not even after he heard the door click shut behind him.

Sam took a moment to breathe in the cool, crisp air of Savannah before moving into the sun. He realized they all needed this break for different reasons. Personally, he was tired of thinking about his place in the demonic universe and would rather have something else to focus on. Like seeing Chloe leave her room and head out for a walk.

"Boy, we have timing," he called, starting towards her. 

She paused in her steps and turned to face him, her expression guarded. She'd been hurt by his brother and she wasn't about to let that mistake happen again--not even with Sam. "I guess so." 

He saw her blank expression and again felt the need to beat Dean into next week. In breaking trust with her, Sam was also facing the consequences. "I'm just taking a walk, so... I'll see you later." With a small smile, he turned and started off in the opposite direction. She needed space from them, and he wasn't going to be accused of not providing that. 

Chloe watched him walk away and a small wave of guilt washed over her. Just because his brother was an ass didn't mean Sam deserved to be treated with distance. "Sam, wait." She quickly caught up with him. "I was...heading out for a walk too." 

Sam stopped and waited for her to catch up, though he didn't look at her. "I need a stretch from all the driving we've done. Don't get me wrong: I love the Impala, but sometimes she gets... crowded." 

She winced a little at that implication. "Yeah. You're right about that," she said dully, tucking her hands into her jacket pockets. 

"Don't get me wrong: I wanna beat my brother down for what he did, but for what it's worth... I appreciate what you and Sarah did for us." He knew he had told her this before, but he felt compelled to state it again. Anything, something, to ease her obvious discomfort. 

"I know," Chloe said quietly, her shoulders slumping a little as they exited the bed and breakfast and headed for the sidewalk. "How are you feeling about...things?" she asked after a moment of silence. 

He paused, not really sure how to answer that. "I'm... actually tired of thinking about it," he admitted after a long moment. "Seems there are other things to, I dunno, be more concerned with." He gave Chloe a pointed look. 

She didn't respond to the insinuation, just kept walking alongside him. "Do we have a case to work on here? Or was this just a random stop?" 

"Seems to be a random stop, even though Dad did write about this place in his journal." He blew out a breath as they waited for the light to change to cross the street. "I think we could all use a breather, don't you?" 

A wry smile touched her lips. "You can say that again." 

"Okay. I think we could all use a breather, don't you?" He smiled wryly at his pathetic attempts at making a light joke. 

A short chuckle escaped her and she smacked his arm playfully. "Dork." 

He chuckled lightly. "It's why Sarah loves me," he said out loud, his thoughts turning towards her briefly. "So, uh, did you want to walk to anyplace in particular?" 

As far away from you brother as I can get, she thought, though she didn't say that. Instead, she shrugged. "Not really. Just...wanted some air." 

He nodded. "I see lots of air down this street. Looks like a nice place, too." He paused, not looking in her direction. "Don't suppose you wanna walk down there with me and back?" 

"Only if you want the company," she said quietly, still not quite sure where she fit in the scheme of things with her and Dean not on speaking terms. 

A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "I could always use the company, Chlo," he replied softly. "Who cares if you never speak to my brother again?" He did, but he wasn't ready to admit that to her yet. 

Faintly startled, she looked up at him with wide green eyes, pausing in her tracks. 

Sam stopped at the look of terror in her eyes. "What?" he asked, looking around, wishing he had brought a weapon with him. "What's wrong?" He didn't like the look on her face. 

"Uh..." She blinked a couple of times. "It's just...I just was thinking about where I fit in with me and Dean not speaking and then..." She waved her hand toward him, studying him intently, her curiosity taking hold and pushing away the moment of fear she'd felt. 

He looked at her carefully. Warily. Oh crap, he thought suddenly. "So wait a minute," he said matter-of-factly, despite his rising panic, "I just said what you were...?" He looked away, putting a hand over his mouth. 

"Okay, don't freak out," she said quickly, reaching out and putting a gentle hand on his arm. 

He laughed bitterly though didn't move. "Yeah, it's an everyday thing to find out you can hear other people's thoughts, move things with your mind... foretell the future." He couldn't look at her, because he knew he'd see the concern in her eyes. 

"Could just be a coincidence," she pointed out. 

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Okay, let's test that theory." He paused for a moment in concentration. Seconds flew by and when he opened his eyes, they were filled with fear and surprise. "You're wondering if Sarah has found anything in her research about... me..." 

"Okay, not a coincidence," she said with widened eyes, gazing at him with something akin to wonder. "But the research thing isn't what you think, so please don't jump to conclusions, okay?" she said warily, not wanting to be on bad terms with both Winchester brothers. 

He closed his eyes in frustration. "I'm a little too weirded out by the whole mind-reading thing to jump," he responded after a moment. Jesus, get a grip, he thought to himself. So you can read minds. Other people do that... human people, that is. Who knew what else he was capable of? "But I have to ask the question: what exactly is she researching?" His voice was even and soft. 

Chloe let out a soft breath, taking him by the arm. "Sam, Sarah and I...have a theory that we've been researching for awhile now," she admitted quietly. 

They resumed walking, though Sam's body remained tense. "This is about the demon thing, right?" he asked, wondering if he would ever overcome this. 

"That's...the thing, Sam. We don't think that's true," Chloe told him. 

"How can it not be true?" he rasped, slightly irritated with himself for the glimmer of hope he felt inside. "Dad told Dean. It has to be true." 

"Not if he was wrong. Not if...not if someone else gave him the wrong information or...convinced him of that for whatever reason." She stopped walking and looked up at him intently. 

Her words made him think for a moment. It had never occurred to him to ask Dean how their father had come across this information. He wanted to pound his head against the lamp post behind him. "Dean never told me how Dad knew," he said simply, looking at her, suddenly questioning everything in his life. Again. 

"No pounding your head against a lamp post," she said, giving him a look. "And maybe Dean doesn't know how your dad knew."

Sam smirked. "Imagine that. Dean might not know something." He sobered quickly, however, as he looked at Chloe. "I know Dad told him that before he died... and he had disappeared for a bit before... Oh no." He began walking quickly, trying to get the thought out of his head. No, not the Demon, he thought, panicked suddenly. 

"What about the Demon?" she asked, shaking her head in confusion. 

"What?!" he yelled, turning around so suddenly she nearly ran smack into him. "What... did you just say?" His eyes were wide with confusion and shock. 

She flinched, startled by his yelling and she stared back at him, totally confused. "I said what about the..." Her voice trailed off as it occurred to her he hadn't spoken those words aloud. Her own eyes widened once more and she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. 

Sam was speechless, and he was sure this was all a dream. He stared at Chloe's pale, frightened face and forced himself to breathe. "I was just thinking about the Demon," he said, trying to remain calm. "Then you asked about it.... what the hell is going on?" He surprised himself with his sudden outburst of anger, but he was sick and tired of being yanked around by Fate or Destiny or, hell, the Demon. 

"I don't know," she whispered uneasily, her mind racing with thoughts. Had he projected his thoughts into her mind somehow? Did she have some innate psychic ability too? Maybe she was finally just starting to go crazy...like her mother. Wincing a little, she started to walk again. 

"Stop with all the questions," he said, walking after her. "It's hurting my brain." What was this about her mother? Crazy, like her mother. He had heard that loud and clear. "Chloe, wait up." He had to use his long legs to catch up, she was practically running. 

"Can you hear anyone else's thoughts?" she asked suddenly, turning to face him. 

He blinked in surprise. "I don't know," he said, looking at the smattering of people around him and waiting for something to enter his mind. And when the thoughts did, he closed his eyes for a second. "That guy there," he said, pointing to an older man struggling to cross the street, "is mentally complaining about how much he hates doing to the doctor. And the couple over there?" His arm moved to point at the man and woman, wearing brightly happy faces and holding hands. "They just found out they're pregnant." 

Chloe turned to follow his gaze across the street, the breath catching in her throat. "What the hell's going on, Sam?" she whispered. 

"I wish I knew," he whispered, putting his arm down and blinking back at all the thoughts that suddenly flooded into his mind. "But I'm getting a headache and need to get back to the hotel." 

Chloe winced a little. "I'm sorry I'm freaking you out. Wasn't my intention," she murmured. So much for helping him, she thought. 

His head was beginning to pound, something similar to the precursor to his visions. "It's... not that..." he whispered and grimaced. "The voices. Getting loud... in here." He pointed to his head. 

Her own head was starting to ache and she quickly took him by the arm. "Let's get back to the bed and breakfast," she said with quiet urgency, leading him down the sidewalk. Oh, she had a really bad feeling that Sarah and Dean were not going to be happy with this new development. 

"No, they really aren't," he said, not realizing she had only thought about Sarah and Dean. "Crap, you didn't actually say that, did you?" 

A grim smile touched her lips. "Sam? I never knew you cussed so much," she said wryly. 

Fuck, he thought, grimacing when he saw her knowing smile and realizing she had just heard that. "Funny, you should be a comedian," he muttered. "And no, Sarah and I haven't gone there, yet, dammit." He saw her blush and wanted to laugh out loud. Or he would have, had his head not felt like it’d been split in two. 

Not a lot creeped Chloe Sullivan out. But having someone else literally reading her mind was seriously unnerving. Not to mention the fact that, oh yeah, she could suddenly hear his thoughts, too. This couldn't be good. 

Helping each other, they managed to make it back to the hotel without much more incidents, even though Sam heard her anxiety-riddled thoughts clearly throughout the rest of that street's inhabitants. "Please, Chlo," he whispered as they stopped at his door. "Find out what's going on. Because yes, this is way too creepy for me to handle." Possibly the only cool thing about this was being able to read Sarah's thoughts. He had the distinct impression she kept a lot of things to herself. He smiled faintly at the thought before remembering Chloe had probably heard it. 

"Yeah well, personally I hope she can read yours, too," she retorted, her headache growing worse. Because that would mean you're projecting your thoughts and I'm not somehow going crazy, she thought, heading for her own door. 

"You're gonna have to tell me about your mother and this crazy you keep thinking about," he told her, watching her unlock her door. 

Chloe froze for a moment and turned to look at him. "And we're both gonna have to find a way to shut off the whole reading each other's minds thing." 

Sam nodded, thinking that if she ever started thinking nicely about Dean again... He shuddered at the thought. "Yeah, as soon as possible. I'm gonna try to avoid Dean and... get some work done." He unlocked the door to his room and went inside without waiting for a response. 

Making a face at the thought that rolled through his mind, and feeling more than a little weirded out, she stepped into her own room, her face paler than normal. "Hey, I'm back, I'm gonna get a shower," she said without looking at Sarah as she ducked into the bathroom. 

"Hey, how was the walk?" she called, looking up to see Chloe scoot into the bathroom more quickly than usual. Something was up, but she didn't know what. And Google wasn't complying, so she shut her laptop and stretched, standing up and moving around the room. "You okay in there?" she shouted at the bathroom door. Apparently the walk didn't do any good. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Chloe called back, leaning against the door heavily for a moment. She slowly slid down to the floor as she realized she could still hear Sam's thoughts though they were in separate rooms. The thoughts were a little more muddled, more distant, but still there. Crap, she thought, shutting her eyes. Crap, crap, crap. 

Stop that, Sam thought, still hearing Chloe's thoughts even though he was in the next room. He lay down and put the pillow over his head, trying to drown out her panicked thoughts.

"Dude, what's with you?" Dean asked, confused that Sam had just walked in and went back to bed. "I thought the walk was gonna do you some good." Truth was, he looked more freaked out than usual. 

I can't help it, she thought, burying her head in her hands. She could hear Sarah's voice on the other side of the door but she was too consumed by her own thoughts to try and figure out what her friend was saying. 

Please, Chloe, Sam begged. Dean suspects something's wrong, and I don't know how to tell him I can read thoughts... including yours. "Can't I just be tired, dude?" he snapped at Dean. "Especially after... everything?"

"Whatever," his brother snapped, feeling the walls closing in on him. "I'm taking a drive." 

Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Chloe shut her eyes tightly and pictured herself by herself in a small, steel-enforced box. Forcing herself to focus on the image and her breathing, it took her a few moments to realize she could no longer hear Sam's thoughts at all. Thank God. Hoping she could keep that up and somehow manage to function normally, she rose to her feet and headed into the main room. "Having any luck?" she asked Sarah, moving to her own computer. 

Noticing the blonde's unwillingness to look her in the eye, Sarah watched her boot up her own computer. "Not so much," she replied casually, moving back to the table. "I get lots of angelic hits, but they're mostly from the Bible and Paradise Lost... what's wrong?" 

"Angelic hits?" Chloe repeated, a little startled. "Like what?" 

"Oh, apparently there's a book called Fallen Angels, multitudes of analyses of Milton's epic poem about the angels that turned demonic when they fell..." She stopped talking and put wide eyes on Chloe. 

Her face paled and she slowly sat down on the edge of her bed. "Of course," she whispered. 

"Oh my God, I'm stupid," she whispered, falling into her chair and pulling up her Google results page. "It makes sense. Sam's a fallen angel." She spoke more to herself, but her eyes remained locked on Chloe. She sensed something was still wrong with her. "Really, what is it, Chloe?" she asked, feeling a little discombobulated. 

"Not necessarily fallen," she murmured. "But maybe that's what the Demon wants. How much more powerful would a fallen angel be than a half-demon?" she asked, avoiding the question as she stood up and began to pace the floor. "If he can get Sam to somehow...embrace the dark side..." 

"He's not going to, though," she protested, standing up and folding her arms across her chest, watching her friend begin to pace. Again. "You know, you keep doing that and you're gonna put a hole in the floor," she stated with a faint smile. 

"It makes sense," Chloe murmured. "The Demon...killed their mother, killed Jess...tried to kill Dean, killed their dad..." She swallowed hard and paused, looking at Sarah. 

"What is it?" she asked Chloe when she paused. Fear crept back into her body, making her shake slightly. 

"It's trying to break him down by taking everything and everyone away from him that's important to him." She felt her blood run cold. 

"That means... it might come after Dean next." And then Chloe and me, she thought, her body frozen with terror. 

Chloe swallowed hard once more and quickly headed for the door, feeling overwhelmed. 

Shaken to the core, Sarah went after her, following her to the guys' room next door. 

Knocking loudly on the door, she struggled to keep the image of herself in a box pictured in her mind as she waited anxiously for someone to answer. 

Sam heard the pounding on the door and knew it was Chloe. He hadn't been able to hear her thoughts for the past several moments, but he still knew she was there. With Sarah. And Sarah's thoughts screamed terror. Wide-eyed, he jumped off his bed and quickly opened the door. "What's wrong?" he demanded, seeing their pale faces and wide, terrified eyes. "Chloe? Sarah?" His eyes settled on the latter, and her thoughts were a jumble of words, 'fallen angel' being two she kept repeating. He took a deep breath and mentally pictured a wall to bar her thoughts from him. 

"Where's Dean?" Chloe asked urgently, meeting his eyes for a moment, then looking past him into the room. 

"He said he went for a drive." He watched Chloe breeze by and then reached out for Sarah to steady her.

"We need to find him," she whispered, looking at Sam with frightened eyes. 

She quickly pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed number one on speed dial, pressing the small phone to her ear and waiting as it began to ring. Pick up, she thought, willing him to answer his phone. 

Dean had been driving along the beach, letting the air flow through the open windows. Sure, it was cold, but at this point, he didn't care. He absently answered his cell, not looking at the caller ID. "Dude, I'll be back soon, okay? Not in sharing mode." 

"It's me," she said tensely. "I need you to come back here. It's important." 

"Chloe." Dean was surprised to hear her voice on the other end. It was on the tip of his tongue to make some off-handed remark about calling him when she could have easily just spoken to him for the last week, but something in her tone kept him quiet. "Give me five minutes," he replied, snapping the phone shut before she had the chance to hang up on him. 

Sliding the phone back into her pocket, she turned to look at Sam and Sarah. "He's on his way back." 

Sarah blinked, a tear sliding down her cheek out of relief. "Thank God," she whispered, looking back at Sam, her eyes wide as saucers.

"Okay, that's great and all, but is someone going to tell me what's going on?" he demanded, his head starting to pound with the words fallen angel again. 

Chloe slid a hand over her face and perched on the edge of the small table. "You should sit down, Sammy," she murmured, not thinking about it as she used Dean's nickname for him. 

Christ, she was using his nickname, he thought soberly, sitting down and pulling Sarah into his lap as he did. She squirmed a little to get out of his arms but he refused to let her go. 

She looked at Sarah intently for a moment, then shifted her gaze back to his face. "Sam..." 

He watched Sarah and Chloe staring at each other... and heard Sarah mentally will Chloe to break him the news. "The news?" he asked out loud, completely forgetting that he could read minds.

"Yeah, the n--" Sarah turned to look at Sam and then jumped out of his lap like she'd just been burned. She was visibly trembling with emotion. "Okay, how the hell did you hear that?" she demanded. 

Her head starting to ache, Chloe rubbed her temples. "Okay why don't we wait until Dean--" The door swung open suddenly and she found herself staring at him. "Nevermind." 

Sam shifted uneasily, looking from his brother to Sarah and then at Chloe, feeling completely at a loss as to how to begin to explain what was going on. 

"Okay, what gives?" Dean asked, seeing three very concerned, shocked, and scared faces. Not something he wanted to walk into. "What's wrong?" He took a step towards Chloe but stopped in mid-stride, thinking she probably wouldn't want him around her.

Sarah never took her eyes off Sam, waiting for him to explain how he was able to hear what she was thinking. Well, duh, she thought, he can read minds. Obviously. What freaked her out was how. 

Rubbing his eyes, Sam leaned over and rested his elbows on his knees, falling silent. 

"Sam has a new power," Chloe said quietly, gazing at him for a moment before shifting her gaze to Sarah and then Dean, watching the shock register on both their faces. 

Dean glanced at Sam. "New power?" he whispered, his eyes shifting between him and Chloe. "What power?"

"Mind reading," Sarah replied immediately, glancing at Dean before looking at Sam again. "It's how you were able to repeat what I was thinking, wasn't it?" Oh God, what was going on with him? she thought, miserable and helpless on how to help him. 

He winced a little at her panicked thoughts and at the confusion he could hear in his brother's. "No, it just happened, Dean, just a little while ago." He glanced over at Chloe, who remained still and leaning on the table. 

"We talking five minutes kind of while ago or it happened while I was out getting some air while ago?" He saw the exchange between his brother and his girlfriend and frowned.

Calming herself, Sarah took a few steps to Sam and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing just a little. "Sorry," she whispered. She needed to keep a lid on her thoughts for his sake. She didn't want to cause him any more pain. 

Sam avoided Dean's gaze. "The latter," he responded, this time looking down at the floor. He covered Sarah's hand with his own, feeling her thoughts pull back a bit and feeling grateful for the effort. 

Likewise, Chloe remained staring at the wall, her arms folded across her chest. 

Dean was speechless. He literally didn't know what to say. All he could think about was that his brother, on top of everything else, had developed a new power. Something he would never experience. He glanced at Chloe and looked down. Knowing he could hear her thoughts depressed him even more.

He's thinking about you, Sam thought, looking over at Chloe and gently pulling Sarah back into his lap.

She glanced at Sam, and then over at Dean for a moment. I'll talk to him later, Sam. There's more you need to know. 

More, he thought, nearly asking the question out loud but putting his face into Sarah's hair instead. The last thing Dean needed to know was that he and Chloe could communicate with each other telepathically. In so many ways would that not go over well.

Sighing, Dean moved back to the window and looked out at it. "I gave up a drive on the beach for this?" he muttered to himself, wondering why in the hell everyone was so quiet.

Closing her eyes against Sam's face teasing her hair, she whispered, "Sam, Dean, there's something else you need to know." She opened them and silently pleaded Chloe to tell them. 

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "Sarah and I have been doing some research...ever since we found out about Sam." Her words were more directed at Dean for the time being, since Sam already knew this part. "Dean...how did your dad find out about him? Did he say?" 

He turned his head but not fully looking at anyone. "No, he didn't," he replied flatly. "Never questioned how he knew because..." He looked back out the window, his words trailing off.

"Dad died before telling you," Sam finished, not needing to read his mind to know that. He had been there. He knew.

Dean simply nodded, saying nothing else. Dammit, why didn't he think to ask where that info came from? Why didn't he think to find the source before telling Sam? 

Rubbing the back of her neck, Chloe gazed intently at Dean for a moment. "We think your dad was wrong," she said quietly. 

Sarah turned and looked at Sam, her eyes uncertain as she simply nodded at him.

Dean turned around and looked at Chloe... who was actually staring at him. "Okay," he said slowly, keeping his emotion in check. "If he was wrong, then... Sam might not be a demon?" He glanced at his younger brother before sliding his eyes back on Chloe. "Then why have Gordon after him?" 

"Because maybe whoever gave your father that information...maybe they gave it to other people, too. I don't know, Dean." Her voice was quiet. 

Dean swore to himself profanely for several moments before remembering Sam could hear his thoughts. He looked at him, watching the pain on his face, and felt shame. "Sorry, dude," he said out loud. "I'm just a little upset." Fuck Dad, he swore to himself. Fuck him and his... information. 

Imagine yourself in a steel-enforced box, Sam, she thought, her eyes not leaving Dean. It's how I shut it off earlier. She bit her lower lip. "Anyway...Sarah and I did some research. A lot of it, actually. And...she just came across something that...we think makes a lot more sense than Sam being a demon." 

Steel-enforced box, Sam repeated to himself, closing his eyes in concentration. When Dean's angry and grief-filled thoughts subsided, he opened them again and looked at Sarah. "Fallen... angel?" he asked hesitantly.

She bit her lip but nodded silently, afraid to speak.

"Fallen angel, huh? Weren't they banished from heaven because of free will?" Dean asked, still staring at his brother. 

Chloe was quiet for a moment. "In mythology and biblical beliefs, yes." She paused, looking at Sam. "I'm not sure that Sam is exactly...I don't think he's exactly fallen." 

"Then what the hell is he, Chloe?" Dean rasped, looking intently at her. "He's still my brother. He's still human." 

The anger in his voice didn't go unnoticed, but she ignored it, knowing he was frustrated and confused. Like they all were. "What I'm saying is...I think...that Sam is very powerful. Maybe more than we even thought." She looked at the younger Winchester. "And that maybe...the Demon knows this. And realizes that if he can just get Sam to turn to the dark side...he'd have one hell of a powerful ally than if Sam was some kind of demon." 

Sam looked at Chloe, a little shocked by the implication. "So you're telling me... the Demon wants me to be his right-hand man?"

"That's never gonna happen," Dean replied, a determined glint in his eyes. "I'd die before seeing that come to light. I'll kill that bastard first."

Sarah heard the promise in Dean's words and bit back the unshed tears she felt. "We think the Demon is using everyone against Sam to make him turn." 

"An angel is much more powerful than a demon," Chloe said quietly. 

"Which is why this mere mortal will make sure my angelic brother doesn't turn," Dean growled, heading for the door. His anger and pain knew no boundaries. He might be impressed with the girls' researching abilities, but they brought up a dozen questions he had no answer to. And if the Demon was truly after Sam to turn him evil, then he knew what he had to do. He yanked the door open, practically ripping the door off the hinges. He couldn't focus in this room. Not with everyone in the room. Not with Chloe there, ignoring him, hating him. 

I'm going after him, Chloe informed Sam without speaking, quickly heading after Dean. 

Chloe, be careful, Sam told her, watching her leave. He's pissed and angry. Very volatile and unpredictable. 

He won't hurt me, she assured him before putting up the walls in her mind. "Dean. Wait." 

Dean ignored her, making a beeline towards the Impala. Screw this, he thought. My whole world's been turned upside down, and there's no one to talk to about this. Dad's dead, he probably lied to me, Chloe hates me, and Sam's going places I never knew existed and will probably take Sarah with him. Where does that leave me? 

"Goddammit, would you stop?" she demanded, grabbing his arm. 

"Why, Chloe? Why?" he demanded, swirling around to face her, his face a mask of darkness. 

"Because we should talk about this, Dean!" 

"About what? Us? Sam? His powers? The fact that he's not a demon but a fucking angel?" The fact that I'm so tired of this that I wanna get in my car and drive off? he continued to himself. 

"How about all the above?" she suggested, folding her arms across her chest. 

He glared at her. "What, now? After the silent treatment for a week?" He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. His anger wasn't going to solve anything. Not now. Not ever. Only if he was killing something. 

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed at you. But that doesn't mean that I hate you or that I don't care about you," she said evenly. 

Dean bit back a smart-ass remark. "It doesn't seem to matter anymore," he replied, looking away from her. "We just need to keep Sammy safe." 

She flinched, taking his words hard. "Fine. Then it doesn't matter. But we need to figure out a plan to keep him safe," she said flatly, no emotion in her tone. 

"Yes, we do," he replied just as flatly. And for the life of him, he didn't know what. "Look, the Demon can possess anyone. I mean anyone. It kills without blinking, actually enjoys it." He closed his eyes, his heart breaking a little more with each passing moment. 

A shudder passed over her. "Are people who've been possessed before more likely to fall prey to this thing?" she asked, her voice not giving away her sudden onslaught of fear. 

Dean shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "Doesn't seem to fit any patterns. Dad had never been possessed that I know of, and it got him." 

She relaxed a little. "I think the first thing we need to do is to get Sam to work on controlling his abilities. It'll help him feel more in control." 

"Agreed. You're going to help him with this, right?" He wanted to look at her face, see her intensely green eyes but couldn't. He hated himself too much for losing her trust. 

"I'll do what I can." She was quiet for a moment, her mind turning as another thought hit her with such intensity it made her breath catch. 

Dean heard her sudden intake of breath and moved towards her. "What is it?" he asked sharply, watching her try to gasp for air. 

"Maybe it's not trying to get Sam to turn evil. Maybe this Demon knows Sam has the power to kill it," she whispered, meeting his eyes. 

He was rendered speechless for the second time that night. It had never happened before, he thought, his eyes gazing into hers. "How could he have the power to... kill it?" he wondered out loud, though... if Sam could learn to read the Demon's mind, maybe he could learn its weakness. 

"Think about it. If Sam is an angel...he's already more powerful than any demon. And God only knows the extent of his abilities. If this Demon knows who Sam is..." 

"Then the Demon probably knows Sam could actually kill it," Dean replied, his voice flat and toneless. "We need to get him someplace safe, somewhere... unpopulated." 

"Maybe the Demon's the one who sent Gordon after Sam," she murmured, her mind continuing to whirl with possibilities. "Maybe the Demon...can't actually kill Sam himself." 

"Which means Gordon's still out there, and he might be tracking us still." All the more reason to get to the remotest place possible. Maybe so he could die fighting to protect his brother. That... or just leave. He glanced longingly at the Impala. 

"You're right. We need to go somewhere safer. Somewhere protected." 

"I'm open to suggestions," he replied. "Someplace warm and deserted." He tried to smile at her but couldn't. There wasn't any use. 

Chloe gazed at him thoughtfully. "Nevada." 

"Works for me. We'll leave in the morning." He couldn't bear to look at her anymore, so he turned his head and started walking away. 

Her shoulders slumped a little and she closed her eyes wearily. His feelings had clearly been more based on sex than anything else and since they were fighting, he apparently had no use for her. Like Clark, her mind whispered. Her eyes hardened and headed off down the sidewalk without looking back. Maybe this time she really could get some air. 

Balling his fists, Dean punched the first wall he found in sheer frustration. Self-hatred for what he did to her. Dammit, but why did his mouth always get in the way? he asked, turning around and watching her take off into the evening, taking his heart with her. He couldn't handle her silence, her hurt and anger, anymore. Much better that she shoot him and put them both out of their misery. So he took off after her, determined to hash this out and make her understand, once and for all, that while he loved her more than anything else in his miserable excuse for a life, he would still probably piss her off, hurt her, and eventually make her leave him. "Chloe," he said out loud, following her. 

She didn't answer him, but she did slow her pace a little, steeling her nerves for whatever he was about to throw in her direction this time. 

His breathing heavy, he finally made pace with her and walked next to her. "Stop for a second before you go barreling out of my life," he whispered, putting a hesitant hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for helping Sam... and... just thank you." I love you, I miss you, I want you, I hate myself for what I did to you. These were all things screaming in his head, yearning to be spoken. 

"I haven't really done much," she said quietly, swallowing hard and avoiding his eyes so he didn't see her unshed tears. 

"But you will," he replied, his voice suddenly gentle and low. "You'll save his life in ways I will never be able to." 

"Maybe." Her own voice softened. "But you'll actually save his life." She slowly turned to look at him. 

He smiled sadly. "Probably at the risk of my own, you know, which is why I have to tell you that..." He took a deep breath. "... I'm an asshole for everything I said to you last week, and if I could take it back, I would. In a New York minute." He just looked at her, wearing his heart on his sleeve, needing her with him more than he needed anything. Including his own brother. 

She looked down at the pavement for a minute. "Yeah. You were," she agreed quietly. "But...I guess that's what happens when...you love someone. They have the ability to hurt you more than anyone else." 

He wry smile crossed his features. "So you're saying you still love me?" he asked, trying to beat back the hope that beat eternal in the back of his heart. 

"Unfortunately for me, I can't shut those kinds of things off that easily," she said wryly. 

His heart fell at her words. "Like mine can?" he asked, his voice husky with emotion. "Chloe, I never said I stopped loving you." 

She lifted her gaze to his face. "I wasn't sure it was true to begin with," she admitted softly. 

Tears pricked the back of his eyes as he stared at her, disbelieving what he was hearing. "I meant it when I said it," he whispered, the pain in his voice evident. "I mean it now. The rest..." He shook his head. "I'll stay out of your way, try to earn your trust back... and maybe then you'll see." He took a few steps back, feeling the figurative chasm yawning between them. 

"I love you, Dean. But trust...just doesn't come easily with me anymore. Not after everything that's happened," she whispered, sadness washing over her. 

He grimaced. "Then I guess you don't really love me, Chloe. Because if it's one thing I've had to learn, there's no love without trust." He gazed intently into her eyes. "I trust you. With my life. With my brother's life. I'm just too much of an ass to show it most of the time, but it's there. Always. Hovering in the shadows." How badly he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her, but he knew she wouldn't welcome his touch. Maybe not ever. 

She felt like he'd smacked her across the face. "I trust you with my life," she said quietly. 

He gazed at her longingly, the unshed tears glistening in his eyes. "I'll always love you, you know. I guess... that's all I can say. I love you. I'm not a good man, but I love you anyway." 

"That's where you're wrong, Dean. You are a good man." She held his gaze, her own eyes watering. "I'm just not sure that..." She bit her lip and looked away. 

And it was back to her trust issue. And Clark Kent. His eyes became dark with despair and he looked away in the opposite direction. "Yeah," he replied. "I get it. Never gonna happen. I'll learn to accept that fact." He started to walk away, feeling his insides being shredded by her insecurities and hating himself for letting her have that much power over him. 

Chloe shut her eyes, dropping her mental walls without even thinking about it. That I'm enough for you, she thought sadly, a tear trickling down her cheek. Swallowing hard and feeling vaguely nauseous, she slowly turned and headed in the opposite direction. 

Back at the hotel, Sam felt Chloe's echoing painful thought beat at his brain, startling him out of his silence. Sarah still remained on his lap, though their conversation had been stilted to the point of awkwardness. "Dammit," he swore silently, knowing somehow, Dean had managed to hurt Chloe. Again.

"Sam? What is it?" she asked, taken back by his sudden movement and sliding off his lap to stand.

"Just...a headache I can't get rid of," he told her softly, slowly rising to his feet and planting a kiss against the top of her head. 

Why did she think it was more than just that? she wondered, leaning against him and sighing. She wondered where Chloe was, if she was okay. 

"I'm worried about her, too," he admitted without thinking about it. 

"Is she talking to Dean?" she asked, her brows furrowed. 

"I don't know. I don't...I don't think she is anymore." He winced a little as his head ached. 

"What did you hear, Sam?" she whispered, turning around to look at him. She knew he had heard something. Something painful. Something he didn't want to share with her. 

"Sarah..." He closed his eyes, feeling uncomfortable. "She just seems upset." 

She nodded and headed for the door. "I'm going after her," she replied, her voice sad and empty. When would things start going right for any of them? she wondered. 

"Be careful," he said softly. 

She smiled. "I always am." With one last look, she left the hotel in search of her friend. 

&&&&&

Chloe sat cross-legged on her bed hours later, shortly after Midnight. She'd turned off her phone, blocked her thoughts from Sam's mind and spent the evening alone, pursuing the city. She'd eaten alone at a small Italian restaurant she'd found, picking at her food and not really consuming much. Now she was wide awake, hoping to find some answers as to why she could hear Sam's thoughts. Because she wasn't hearing anyone else's so she couldn't be experiencing some weirdo psychic power of her very own. Sighing softly, she tapped her fingers lightly on the keyboard. 

Returning to the hotel, Sarah was beyond tired. She wanted a hot bubble bath, a large glass of wine, and sleep. In that order. The events of the day had proven nearly too much for her. The thought that Sam could read her mind was... well... it was weird. She didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. She stopped just outside her hotel door. "What if he's reading my mind now?" she wondered out loud, wincing involuntarily at her words. She needed to find a way to block her thoughts from him, because she didn't want to cause him any more grief.

She turned the key in the lock and slowly opened it. She had walked the city streets for hours without a sign of Chloe and knew she probably didn't want to be found. She was honestly surprised, however, to find her at her laptop, her face a blank canvas of concentration. "Chloe," she said, shutting the door and locking it. "I've been looking all over the place for you." 

She glanced up, surprised. She'd figured Sarah and Sam had been together all this time. "You have?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing. 

"Are you okay?" She saw the emptiness behind her friend's eyes, which had to be the result of whatever she and Dean had talked about. "Sam was... worried." 

Chloe grimaced a bit, realizing during the words she and Dean had exchanged must have distracted her enough to drop her mental walls at least briefly. "I didn't mean to worry anyone. I just...needed some space," she said softly, looking back at her computer. 

She nodded. "Seems like we could all use some space." She sat down in the chair next to Chloe. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked, a little weary. 

A faint, sad smile touched her lips. "No, but thanks." She glanced at her briefly. "There's just...not really much to say, I guess." 

"Just promise me you'll tell me if you decide to... leave," she whispered, her own smile small and pensive. She glanced at Chloe's screen and frowned. "What are you researching, anyway?" 

She was quiet for a moment. "This new ability of Sam's," she said softly. 

"Does it involve... meteor rocks?" she asked, staring at the article she'd pulled up. How did Sam's mind reading have to do with Smallville? she wondered. 

Chloe fell silent, unsure of how to answer her. 

Sarah scanned the computer screen, reading about meteor rocks infecting the town's water supply. "Wait, Sam wasn't there long enough to drink Smallville water..." Her words trailed off and she turned to stare wide eyed at Chloe. "Okay, what aren't you telling me, Chlo?" 

She shut her eyes, her shoulders slumping a little. "For whatever reason...I can...hear Sam's thoughts, too," she whispered. 

Sarah blinked in shock. She stared at the blonde, saying nothing. 

"I know, it's weird, and I don't understand it either," she said quickly. 

"So... he can read your mind and... you can read... his?" Oh, she didn't know if she liked the sound of that. She looked away and stood up. The bath was calling her to drown her sorrows in something. 

Feeling her heart sink at the distant look in her friend's eyes, Chloe shut her computer. "I'm trying to find a way to shut it off." 

"I know you are," she whispered. "I guess I... I'm a little jealous, that's all." She tried to smile but it didn't reach her eyes. 

Her heart sunk even more at the look on Sarah's face. That look of involuntary betrayal. Chloe shut her eyes. "Sarah, I'm sorry." 

She shrugged, trying to blow it off. "It's okay," she whispered. "Like you said, you don't know how it happened. There must be a reason." 

Yeah. I'm slowly going insane and it's opening my mind up to Sam's, she thought wryly. "If it makes you feel any better, I've got him blocked out." 

She cocked an eyebrow at her friend. "Um, this might sound weird, but... can you tell me how?" She needed to do something, anything, to keep him from harm... and to keep him out of her head. 

A faint smile touched her lips. "I just...picture myself alone in a steel-enforced box. Sounds bizarre, but...seems to work." 

She smiled again. "I'll keep that in mind," she said, sitting down again on her bed. "So, uh, if you can read Sam's mind, can you...?" She pointed to her forehead lightly, wondering if the steel-enforced box needed to be in place for her, too.

The smile faded from Chloe's lips. "No," she said softly. 

"Good... I guess." Sarah looked at Chloe's concerned face. "Hey, it's gonna be alright." I hope anyway, she thought before practicing the steel-enforced box around the walls of her mind. She needed to keep this if she was going to help out. "So, if you can't read anyone else's mind but Sam's, is he... projecting things into your head?" 

"I honestly have no idea. But I'm guessing that means that he's not projecting them into your head, or Dean's." 

"I only wish," she murmured almost inaudibly before blushing a little. 

"For what it's worth...I wish it was you instead of me," she said softly. 

Sarah blushed harder. "I don't know if that would be a good thing or not. He's..." She sighed, unable to get her words out properly. He would never want me to hear his thoughts, she mused mournfully, the steel box slipping a fraction. "Plus he might be able to help you with his brother." 

"Well, I think that's...not likely." Chloe's voice was quiet. "We have more important things to deal with then me and Dean's...whatever you wanna call it." Disaster, she thought tiredly. 

Sarah thought of the look on Sam's face when he clearly had heard one of Chloe's stray thoughts and looked down. "Gotta say, I disagree. I betcha he puts both on just about the same level." 

"Well, I don't. And neither does Dean." He made that abundantly clear, she thought painfully. She let out a breath and opened her computer to go back to her research. "Dean wants to leave first thing in the morning." 

Sarah shook her head. "God, you two... Okay, where does he want to go now?" Her frustrated sigh betrayed her growing impatience with her friend and Dean. She knew they had problems, but Lord, when would they learn to talk about them? 

"Nevada," she said simply. "The desert." 

That seemed to be the most insane place in the world to go. "Why the desert?" she asked Chloe, staring at her with confused eyes. 

"Solitude," she answered, glancing at her friend. "We need Sam to...figure out how to control his powers." 

Sarah yawned. "Okay, I'll be ready in the morning," she said, then paused for a moment. "That is, if they want us to go." She sighed again and looked down at her hands. 

"Well, they may want you to go," she said with a faint, wry smile. 

She looked up, her green eyes lit with frustration. "Dean wants you, Chloe." 

Chloe didn't respond for a moment. "Yeah. I know he does." She looked down at her computer. 

She swallowed hard. "Look, I hate coming back to this subject, Chloe, but... Sam and I... we've been in the middle of this all week, and it's hard concentrating on him when I'm worried about you." 

She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry you're in the middle of things, Sarah. I really am. But I'm all right." 

She sighed and stood up. "No you're not, and if you two don't start working this out, I'm personally gonna tie you two up until you talk." She grinned suddenly at the thought and gave Chloe a knowing look. 

"At this point I think we're more likely to end up killing each other," she said without humor, her eyes focused on the computer screen. 

"Okay," Sarah replied, not looking at Chloe. "I'm going to take a bath and then try to sleep. You should, too." She headed for the bathroom and shut the door behind her without waiting for a response. Sliding down against the back of the bathroom door, she let down her mental block and thought, Sam, help me make things right with Chloe and Dean. She's hurting so much and I'm worried about her. 

Sam heard that thought loud and clear and he sighed softly, staring blankly up at the ceiling, then over to where his brother was sleeping. I will, he thought, though he knew Sarah couldn't hear him. He just wasn't sure how yet. 

&&&&&

Two days. They had been on the road for two days, and Chloe had said nothing to Dean. Nothing. Her silence was slowly killing him inside, especially since she had pretty much proven that she loved him about as much as he loved root canal work. He wasn't worthy of her love apparently, he thought, frowning and stepping on the gas. Just the story of his life: find the woman of your dreams and do everything humanly possible to drive her away. He was surprised she hadn't tried sneaking off during the night. Then he remembered why she was staying: Sam. He glanced at his younger brother sitting next to him. He was the reason she stayed. Not him. 

Sam sighed and looked at his brother. "Would you mind not thinking so much?" he complained, shutting his eyes and leaning back in the passenger seat. 

"What?" he said, startled out of his pensiveness before looking at Sam with a guilty smile. "Sorry, dude. Thought my wall was up." He glanced back at Chloe and Sarah, who were sleeping at the moment. Probably a good thing, he thought. Neither looked happy, even in their sleep. 

"And stop thinking she's only with us for me because it's not true," he grumbled. 

"It is totally true, dude," he replied. "Not like she wants me around... wait a minute, how do you know that's not true?" 

"Hello? I can read her mind," Sam said in annoyance. 

"Bitch," he grumbled under his breath. "Thanks for the reminder." He tried not to think about what Sam might know about Chloe. Things he probably would never understand or find out because she was never going to speak to him again. 

"Jerk," he grumbled. 

Rolling his eyes and putting up his mental block, he stepped harder on the gas, willing the Impala to get to Nevada that much faster.

Something jerked Sarah awake, though she wasn't sure what it was. Probably the movement of the car and Dean's frustrated driving. She sat up a little and yawned, still needing three more days' sleep. She looked at the back of Sam's head and smiled faintly, though she firmly kept that image of the box, keeping him out of her head. 

Sam felt her gaze on him and turned slightly, offering her a faint smile. "Hey. Nice nap?" 

She wished she knew what he was thinking and found herself wishing she did have Chloe's connection to him. "Okay one," she replied quietly. "Where are we, anyway?"

"Missouri," Dean said tersely. 

Sam rolled his eyes toward his brother, giving Sarah an apologetic look. "We've still got a ways to go." 

"Yeah, kinda figured that." She glanced over at Chloe, weary at all of the silence she had listened to in the last day. 

In the backseat, Chloe simply rested her head against the window and feigned sleep, carefully keeping the walls up between her and Sam's minds. 

_I know you're not sleeping,_ he thought, sensing Chloe's faking sleep. 

She was startled by the sudden sound of his voice in her mind. _Okay, how exactly are you in my head?_ she thought, though she kept her eyes shut. 

He smiled slightly, looking out the window. _I dunno. Maybe I can slip past your mental wall?_ he thought. 

_Thanks, Captain Obvious._

_Okay, Dean._ Sam smiled a bit wider at Chloe's comment. _You're starting to sound like him._

 _Lucky me_ , she thought wryly, a faint smile touching her lips despite herself. 

Sam snorted softly, hoping to God Dean didn't hear that. Thankfully, his brother looked too into his own depressing thoughts to hear anything else. Yes, you're lucky. He's luckier to have you, though, he thought. 

Chloe sighed inwardly. _Sam...._

_Chloe, he's right now kicking himself because he doesn't think you love him. Please, for all our sakes, talk to him._

Swallowing hard, she bit her lower lip. _Get him to stop somewhere._

"Dude, we need to stop," Sam replied, his body jerking upright.

Sarah looked at Sam, worry in her eyes as she wondered what he and Chloe had been talking about. Dean, probably.

"What, now?" he asked, looking over at Sam. He saw his brother nod quickly and sighed. "Fine, there's a gas station up there. I need coffee anyway." He pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine. 

Chloe drew in a slow breath before climbing out of the backseat. She turned her gaze to look at Dean, who'd just climbed out of the driver's seat. "Can we talk?" 

He was a bit surprised to hear her speak to him, but he stopped and looked at her intently. "Sure," he replied. "Wanna latte?" He grinned, but his heart steeled himself against the inevitable. 

"That'd be nice," she said quietly. 

Letting her go first, he followed her into the gas station. He saw Sam and Sarah at the coffee machine, so he gently touched Chloe on the arm. "So, uh... what's up?" he asked quietly. 

Chloe gazed at him. "Dean, I'm sorry," she said just as quietly. 

Okay, not the thing he was expecting. He gave her a confused look. "I thought that was my line," he whispered slowly. 

A faint smile touched her lips. "I think there's plenty of sorry's to go around," she whispered back. 

He looked down and shuffled his foot, suddenly embarrassed. "Maybe," he whispered, "but why are you? Last time we talked..." He closed his eyes, unable to finish his statement because of the pain the memory of that night still caused him. 

Chloe closed her eyes. "Dean, I love you." Her voice was very soft. 

He looked at her and smiled ruefully. "I love you, too, Chloe. I wish you knew how much." He paused a moment, his smile fading. "But I sense a but coming." 

"Well, then you sense wrong. There isn't one." She gazed at him. 

He touched her cheek gently, feeling hope rise in his chest again. "No?" he whispered, wondering if he was dreaming. 

She leaned into his touch, an almost involuntary reaction. "No." 

"Chloe," he whispered, pulling her into his embrace and kissing the top of her head. He sighed, not caring who saw them. 

She slid her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah noticed Dean and Chloe holding each other and sighed. Thank God, she thought as she poured herself some coffee, completely forgetting about that mental block she'd worked so hard to maintain all morning. 

Sam smiled at her thought, echoing it. "I agree," he said softly, touching her arm. 

She stiffened for a second, then relaxed at his touch. "Sorry, I forgot," she said, looking up at him. "How you doing with the whole mind reading thing, anyway?" 

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "I'm getting better at blocking things out." Except Chloe, he thought with a small frown. 

"What is it?" she asked quietly, wondering what he was thinking about. 

"I still have a long way to go," he said quietly. 

"For what it's worth, I'm here to help you... though Chloe would be better at that, since you two can read each other's minds." She pulled away from him, looking down at the coffee in her hands and headed for the cashier.

Dean had taken Chloe by the hand and led her inside to the coffee machine, his face wearing a more confident smile. "No lattes, huh?" he asked, looking at his brother, who wore a confused look. 

Chloe turned her head to look at Sam, her eyes questioning as she heard his confused thoughts. _You okay, Sam?_

 _How does Sarah know you can read my mind?_ he asked her, watching Sarah a few feet away.

"Dude, snap out of it," Dean said, snapping his fingers at his brother.

"Oh, sorry." Sam turned back to look at Dean and Chloe, his face filled with confusion. 

She groaned softly, realizing he didn't know about that. _Long story. I'll tell you in the car,_ she promised silently. 

Sam sighed inwardly. _Yeah, you better,_ he thought, glancing back at Sarah, whose thoughts seemed to hone in on her anxiety and... jealousy? She was jealous of Chloe. 

"Earth to Sammy," Dean called, watching Sam, Chloe, and Sarah and not understanding a bit of what was going on. 

"Let's get back on the road," Chloe suggested wearily, resting a hand on his arm lightly, then heading for the backseat once more. 

"Sure," Dean replied, giving her a confused, yet concerned look. "Everything okay?" He grabbed their coffees and headed after her. 

"Yeah, everything's fine," she said softly, glancing back at him. 

He didn't believe her, but he got into the driver's seat and handed her a cup of coffee. "Okay," he replied, putting on his sunglasses again.

Not looking at Sam, Sarah crawled into the backseat with Chloe, deep in her thoughts, which were firmly behind a wall she hoped Sam couldn't crack. 

Leaning her head against the window once more, she recounted the previous night's events to Sam in her mind. _I didn't mean for her to find out, Sam,_ she thought, feeling guilty. _She just...sorta figured things out._

 _She's a smart one, my Sarah,_ Sam mused, staring at her in the rearview mirror. _I don't get why she's jealous of you, though._

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _How would you feel if Sarah and Dean could read each other's minds?_

Sam felt a surge of anger shoot through him. _Good point,_ he told her, looking over at Dean. _I'd be pretty insane with the jealousy... Have you told Dean about... this freaky mind thing?_

 _Hell no,_ she thought, alarmed. _I'm trying to figure a way to shut it off._

 _Any luck with that?_ Sam thought, desperate for her to be out of his mind as soon as humanly possible. His eyes remained glued to the passenger side window, watching Sarah watch the passing scenery. 

_Not so far,_ she thought, leaning her head against the window and closing her eyes. 

_Get Sarah to help you,_ he silently pleaded. _I think she needs the distraction._

_All right, all right. This whole thing's giving me a headache, Sam. I'm gonna..._

_... stop this mind-bending conversation?_ he finished, closing his eyes against the sudden burst of pain in his head. 

Feeling a similar pain in her own head, she winced. _Yes. That._

His eyes still closed, Sam put up the barrier that he hoped would shut Chloe out for awhile. Not to mention everyone else in the car. Funny, he never knew how crowded it was in the Impala until then.

Dean looked over at his brother. "Dude, you alright?" he asked, breaking the long silence among them. 

"Headache," Sam answered vaguely, leaning back in the seat. 

Ditto that, Chloe thought, also putting up her mental barriers and trying to relax. 

Feeling utterly lost, Sarah pushed her body further into the backseat, having seen and known exactly what Sam and Chloe had been doing. She hated herself for feeling like she was the outsider in her -- should she call it relationship? -- with Sam, but she didn't know how else to take this new development. 

"Okay, whatever," Dean grumbled, feeling the tension in the air, though he was at a loss as to where it came from. Pushing harder on the gar, he hoped they would be inside the Nevada state line by nightfall. 

***

Rubbing the back of her neck as she settled behind her computer in the large motel room, Chloe let out a silent breath as she picked up where she left off researching the night before. Her eyes were tired and her head ached and she was hungry, but none of that mattered. Not in the grand scheme of things anyway. 

_Screw the grand scheme of things,_ Sam said to her, hearing her thoughts loud and clear from the next room. _You and Sarah get something to eat. And rest, okay? You two need it._

She started at his voice in her head and a small scowl appeared on her lips. _We really need to work out this whole barrier thing, Sam._

 _Hey, you started it,_ he joked sarcastically, his head already starting to pound.

Sarah noticed the frown on Chloe's face and looked at her. "What's wrong? Can't find where you left off?" 

"More like, can't get rid of this headache," she said wryly, rubbing her temples. I did not start it, she retorted to Sam. 

"Maybe you should wait on the research until it goes away," she replied, her mind carefully blocked from any stray thought Sam might hear. She wondered if he was communicating with her mentally and sighed inwardly.

 _Listen to Sarah,_ Sam said sternly. _Don't make me send Dean over there to get you to lie down._

 _Are you always this overprotective?_ she mused. "Yeah. Lying down...sounds good." She slowly rose to her feet and moved over to the bed. 

_Hey, my brother'd kick my ass if he knew_... Sam shut down their mental connection. Especially since he saw his brother's gaze on him.

"How about... I go get us something to eat?" Sarah volunteered, looking for her purse. 

"That'd be nice," she said softly, both relieved and a little lonely at the loss of contact with Sam in her mind. Startled at the realization, she sank down onto the mattress, laying back on the bed and closing her eyes. 

"Okay," she sighed, walking out the door and heading for the guys' room. Maybe Dean would let her borrow the Impala, because with them in the middle of nowhere, she doubted a cab would pick her up. She knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.

"Sammy! Gonna get that?" Dean hollered, too tired and lazy to actually get up off the comfortable bed he'd plopped himself on. When he realized, however, that Sam was not interested in opening his eyes or moving, he groaned and got up. Opening the door, he found Sarah on the other side. "Hey," he replied with a small smirk. "Where you off to?" He pointed at her purse. 

"Thought I'd go get us all something to eat. Mind if I borrow the car?" she asked hesitantly. 

Looking back at Sam, whose arm covered his eyes, he said, "How bout I come with you? Mr. Mind Reader over here's been too dull to chat with." He smirked, again wondering what had made his brother so quiet lately. 

"Yeah, I'm sure he's been busy chatting with someone else," she said without thinking. 

Shutting the door behind him, Dean cocked an eyebrow at her. "Uh, run that by me again?" he asked, drawing a blank. 

Her face paling, she tried to back peddle. "You know, being able to read everyone's minds...it's gotta be like having a bunch of conversations all at once." 

He stared at her, face pale, and frowned. "No, you said something about chatting with someone... else." He emphasized the last word, his mind starting to work. "That would mean someone can read his mind back." He thought maybe it was Sarah, but since she was the one making the wise-cracks... 

Sarah ducked her head, swallowing hard. This had gone very wrong. "Look, it's not really my place to--" 

"Oh, it so totally is," he whispered, an awareness spreading through his veins and making him see red. "It's Chloe, isn't it? They've both been awfully quiet the last couple of days. Are they...?" He stared intently at her, waiting for the answer she was sure to give. 

She winced a little and reluctantly looked up at him. "Yeah. But...they don't know why. She can't read anyone else's mind." 

Dean was silent for several moments, his jaw set and tense. He didn't want to yell or say anything to scare Sam's girl, because none of this was her fault. But Sam and Chloe... How long has this been going on? he wondered. "So they've been carrying on non-verbal conversations right in front of us?" he whispered, his voice emotionless. 

Sarah didn't respond, a pained expression on her face because she knew exactly how he felt. 

Putting his hands against the frame of the Impala, he took several very deep breaths, hoping that would calm him down. Didn't work, though: he still felt the poison of betrayal gushing through his veins. "Goddammit," he muttered, not looking at her. "I'm such a damn fool." 

"No, you're not," she said softly. "It's not like they can help it." Despite the truth in the words, she couldn't help but feel the bitter sting of jealousy flash through her once more. 

He snorted. "They still should have told us, Sarah." He looked at her unhappy face and smirked in frustration. "How'd you find out?" He thought he was doing a pretty good job keeping his anger at bay, he thought. 

"Chloe accidentally told me last night." She leaned against the car, tucking her hands into her pockets. 

"Great, nothing like a secret among friends," he muttered to himself. He blew out a long breath. "Does Sammy know that... you know about this? And why the hell didn't they tell me?!" He felt his rage rising up and slammed the door shut hard when he got into the driver's seat. 

"I don't think he knows I know but...considering he can read minds, he might. I don't know, Dean. He hasn't said anything," Sarah answered warily, sliding into the passenger seat. 

Starting the car, Dean pulled out of the parking lot and left towards the fast food joint they had passed on their way into the small middle-of-nowhere town they had landed in. "And he probably won't, either, knowing my brother." And Chloe, for that matter, he thought bitterly. The need to beat down the doors and demand to know their conversations ate at him, just as he suspected Sarah might have been thinking about, too. "You gonna... mention it to him?" His voice was dull and flat. 

"Can't avoid it forever," she murmured dully. 

As he sped them towards their destination, he nodded in agreement. No, neither could he. He mentally prepared himself for the battle he would surely face when they got back. Smirking, he stated, "Betcha never thought any of this would happen when you agreed to come with us, huh?" 

Sarah turned her head to look at him with a wry expression. That was an understatement if she'd ever heard one. 

&&&&&

The drive to and from the restaurant was a long and slightly tense one, especially since Dean knew they were both thinking about the same thing. So when they got back to the hotel and Sarah immediately headed for his room, Dean knew he'd be better off asking Chloe about this mind-reading ability while he had the chance.

With a bag of food and drinks in his hands, he knocked on the adjoining door and waited for her to answer. 

Slowly climbing to her feet, Chloe made her way to the door and offered him a smile as she stepped aside to let him in. "I guess you went with Sarah?" 

"I did," he replied, handing over the food with a wry smile. "Can I come in?" 

"Of course." She shut the door behind him and moved to sit across from him at the small table. 

He was silent for several moments, watching her reach into the bag for the burgers he and Sarah had bought. Where to start, he thought, wondering if Chloe knew what he was thinking. He kept his face carefully blank, as he really wanted to keep his hurt as far removed from this as possible. He knew he'd get over it, but all he wanted to know was why. 

"Are we okay?" she asked softly, tucking some hair behind her ear as she looked at him, studied him, reacting to his unusual silence. 

He grabbed a burger from her side of the table and opened the wrapping, taking a large bite of it while thinking about how to answer that question. "Sure," he replied after another long moment. "I just didn't know if you were still talking to Sammy." His comment was casual, though his hurt shone through. 

Chloe paused mid-bite into the burger and then slowly put it down. Houston, we have a problem, she thought, her heart sinking. "Sam or Sarah?" she asked warily. 

"Sarah. Accidentally, I think." He focused on the sandwich in his hand, not hungry in the least but forcing himself to scarf it down. 

She looked at the table for a moment, then closed her eyes. "Dean..." 

He didn't look at her but continued eating. "Was just wondering when you planned on telling me... if ever." His low, even tone hopefully didn't give away how deeply this was cutting into him. 

She winced, reading between those lines. "Yeah. As soon as I figured out why exactly it's happening." 

"And I take it this hasn't happened yet." Another bite and swallow. Not looking at her for fear of what she'd see there. 

"No," she admitted softly, looking at the table once more. 

"Fantastic," he muttered, finishing the burger and wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Well," he said, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling, "I sure as hell don't know what to do because this sucks out loud. Got any suggestions?" His own bluntness surprised him, but at this point, he no longer cared. 

"I didn't ask for this, Dean," Chloe said, suddenly feeling drained. 

"None of us did," he replied softly, feeling like his world had been shattered and the pieces swept under the rug to hide the shame of it. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I'm sure you had your reasons for keeping this a secret... probably because you thought I'd freak out or something." 

She ducked her head a little in acknowledgment of his words. "I didn't want things to get even worse between us," she admitted in a whisper. 

He bit his tongue, holding back a sarcastic retort. He stood up, weary suddenly of... well, everything. "I think... I'm gonna get my own room tonight. Mull this over in my head for a bit, provided that Sam doesn't try to read my mind like he did this morning." He looked into her mournful eyes and saw himself in them. He reached down and touched her cheek gently. 

She bit her lip. "Are you mad at me?" she asked softly, gazing up at him. 

He simply looked at her, unsure how to answer for a moment. Was he mad? Yes. At her... not necessarily. "No, I'm not," he finally said, "but it hurts. Not that I don't deserve it." 

"I wasn't trying to hurt you," she said honestly, rising to her feet. 

He chuckled a little bitterly. "What was that you said about loving someone and letting them get too close to hurt you?" he asked in a matter-of-fact tone. "Maybe you weren't trying, but you did. It happens. I'll get over it." He tried to shrug it off. 

Watching him head toward the door, she swallowed hard, feeling the chasm between them widen that much more. "Goodnight, Dean," she whispered. 

Turning around to look at her with a longing in his eyes, he whispered, "Goodnight, Chlo." He hesitated for a second and then disappeared from the room, heading for the office to get a room for himself. Because he needed to think this through. Needed to understand before he confronted his brother again. 

Tears stinging her eyes, Chloe looked at her untouched burger on the table then picked it up and discarded it into the trash can in the corner before changing into her pajamas and crawling under the blankets. 

With a new key in his hand, Dean seriously debated finding it and drowning himself in a bottle of tequila. Hadn't it been a long, hard, tense ride? Weren't things bad enough that it deserved getting as drunk as possible?

When he saw Sarah leave Sam's room, however, he knew he needed to talk to his brother before sleep would find him. He headed for his brother's room and walked in without an invite. "Sam, we gotta talk," he said, a little surprised at the blank, pained look on his brother's face. 

The pain and sadness laced in Chloe's thoughts was almost overwhelming and he tried to ask her what was going on but she wasn't responding. He could hear her but somehow she was blocking him. His eyebrows furrowing a little, he sat up in bed and looked at his brother. "Dean?" 

Shutting the door, he stood in front of Sam. "I just saw Sarah leave, so I thought I'd tell you... hell, Sammy, did you intend to tell me you and Chloe have this mental brain connection thing?" 

And suddenly Chloe's source of upset had a reason behind it. "What the hell did you say to her, Dean?" 

He rolled his eyes. "For once, nothing. I just asked her why you two didn't tell me. Not something I wanted to know, even though..." He shook his head. Nevermind. It didn't matter that he suddenly realized this could be a good thing. Clearly Sam knew what she was thinking, which was more than he'd ever know. 

"We didn't say anything because we didn't want you to freak out," Sam informed him, wincing a little as his head throbbed. 

"Does it look like I'm freaking out, dude?" he asked carefully, seeing his brother's pain and guarding his thoughts as best he could. "I only hope Chloe can help you, because I sure as hell can't. Not this time." Even as he spoke those words, he felt the floor open up beneath him and try to swallow him whole. "Who would've believed it? I can't help you." 

"We're trying to figure out how to shut it off. It's not like either of us wanted this to happen. It doesn't even make sense." His eyebrows furrowed a little. "And I'm fine. I don't need help, Dean." 

Running a hand over his face, he looked away. "I hope you find a way to shut it down, because you two have been way too quiet lately. At least now, I know why." He knew he needed more help than his little brother did, but that didn't seem to matter anymore. He turned and headed for the door. "Got my own room for the night. Tomorrow... I guess you guys will work on putting everyone together again."

"Dean, come on, man." 

"What?" he asked, voice flat and defeated. 

"There's another bed in here. You don't have to get your own room." 

"Yes I do." He looked down at the other key he still clutched in his hand. 

"Why? Are you that pissed at me?" Sam asked, his voice hurt. 

He turned to gaze at his brother. "No, dude. I'm not pissed at you or Chloe. I'm just... I'm tired, Sammy. And I can't handle this right now." His eyes glazed over with a weariness he never felt before. "I need... time to think." 

His shoulders slumped a little. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you before. We were hoping to somehow get it shut off or at least figure out what the cause was." 

He nodded, swallowing hard. "I'm just hurt you two didn't trust me enough to say anything, though, I guess I don't deserve Chloe's trust." He fiddled with the other room key absently. 

"Dean, she's really freaked about this," he said quietly, meeting his brother's eyes. 

"Funny, she's never told me," he whispered, not looking up. "Then again, I'm not a mind reader." He tried to laugh but couldn't. "Yeah, that was a dumb joke." 

A faint, somewhat forced smile touched his lips. "Trust me when I say be happy about that." 

He smirked. "Sure, you only say that because you don't love her like I do." 

"True...but it's not just Chloe's thoughts I hear," he murmured, moving to sit down on the bed again. 

"Yeah," he muttered. "Imagine all the sweet things you can learn." He glanced up and smiled knowingly at Sam. 

Sam sighed and looked at his brother. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you never thought with your upstairs brain." 

"Never mind about me, Sam. Maybe it's time you started thinking with your downstairs one," Dean smirked, collapsing into a chair and yawning. 

"Yeah, maybe someday if I ever figure out what the hell I am," he responded, laying back and staring up at the ceiling. 

He sighed. "Or, in an alternate universe, you could spend more time with a woman who already accepts you as you are... freak notwithstanding." He glanced towards the adjoining room. 

"I know she does." He was quiet for a moment. "But I don't." 

Dean stood up. "Then I think it's time you figured it out. Quickly. Sarah's one of a kind... well, two of a kind." He thought about Chloe and smiled softly. "They're too good for us." 

"You got that right," Sam agreed, shutting his eyes. 

"Is she... okay?" he asked, knowing Sam was hearing Chloe's thoughts. 

"I don't know. She's uh...blocking me." 

"I'm going back after her," he said, heading for the door. "Gotta make her understand..." He cast a look back at Sam and wondered how he could possibly help him accept himself, even though the rest of them did, when he refused to even see it. 

"It's a good idea," he answered, rubbing his forehead. 

"What, talking to Chloe or accepting yourself?" he shot back, shutting the door behind him. 

Sam sighed softly. If only the second was as easy as the first. 

Dean went next door and pounded, determined to make Chloe understand that he wasn't mad at her. That he was just... totally thrown by everything. Sarah answered the door, looking pale and sad. "Hey, I'm looking for Chloe, but... are you alright?" he asked, frowning.

She shook her head and tried to smile. "Fine, just... fine." She stepped back and let him in. 

He found Chloe in bed, the covers pulled around her, eyes closed. "We need to talk." 

"About what?" she asked dully. 

"Us." He stressed the word by yanking the covers back and picking her up. 

"Dean!" Her arms wound around his neck instinctively. "What are you doing?" 

"Taking you to my room," he replied, smiling at Sarah as they left the room. He made a left, walking several doors down. 

"Isn't this kind of purpose-defeating?" she grumbled, shivering involuntary as the cold night air hit her skin. 

Unlocking the door, he opened it enough to kick it in with his foot and tossed her onto the bed. "Haven't you figured it out that I don't give up that easily?" he said, shutting the door behind him and sitting down next to her. 

"You're as stubborn as an ass," she responded with a smirk. 

He glared at her before bridging his nose with his fingers. "Gee, when you put it that way," he sighed, not looking at her. 

"I never said it was a bad thing." Her voice softened and she looked at the floor. "Sarcasm...ever my best defense mechanism." 

He sighed and put an arm around her. "That makes two of us, Chloe." He paused, searching for the words to speak what was on his mind. "Can you turn off your mind meld with Sammy?" 

"It's been turned off for awhile now," she responded, not looking at him. 

"Good, because what I have to say..." He cleared his throat and turned her to look at him. "I love you, okay? I'm not pissed off at whatever the hell's going on with you and my brother... okay, that came out wrong." He looked down, actually embarrassed. 

Wincing a little, she folded her hands on her lap. "Dean, I know this is really weird and awkward and--" 

"That doesn't even begin to describe it," Dean interrupted, taking her hands in his. "But, Chloe, I'm... just a little..." He bit his lip in frustration. "I'm jealous, okay?" 

Chloe closed her eyes. "Yeah, I figured that out." 

This was a mistake, he thought miserably. He made no move, but he felt a heaviness fall over him again. "How would you feel, Chloe?" he asked quietly. 

She stood up and slowly began to pace the floor. "I'd be upset. Jealous. Maybe even a little angry," she admitted. 

He watched her move and couldn't help smirking. "Boy, I'm rubbing off on you," he remarked, stretching out on the bed and taking a moment to enjoy her pace. 

"Huh?" She paused, turning to look at him like he'd grown a second head. 

He put his arms behind his head and smiled at her unabashedly. "Did you always pace like that before we met?" 

Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment and a wry smile touched her lips. "No that was mostly reserved for when Lionel Luthor was trying to have me killed." 

He snorted but frowned. "You think this situation is that bad?" He slipped his arms to cross over his chest. He never took his eyes off her, however, intensely watching every move she made. 

"No, that...was scary on a whole different level." 

"Then how would you define this?" 

"Scary on a less dangerous scale, but still borderline terrifying." She didn't look at him. 

"Comforting," he whispered, feeling the distance between them again. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Have you or Sarah gotten any further with the mental divorce from Sammy?" 

"No." She raked a hand through her blonde hair. 

He shifted on the bed, a little more than uncomfortable. "Well, awkward," he muttered to himself, finally reaching over and grabbing Chloe's hand, halting her progress. 

Letting out a breath, she finally looked at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty. 

He frowned. "Hey, it's okay, alright? I can learn to deal with my jealousy, though... I really wish I knew what was going on behind those eyes of yours." He pulled her to sit back on the bed with him. 

Swallowing hard, she was silent for a moment. "It doesn't make any sense that I can hear Sam and no one else can." 

He wrapped tentative arms around her and pulled her to him. "I don't know, either. Sammy's the psychic wonder... no offense." He kissed the back of her neck gently in an involuntary motion of comfort. 

She bit her lower lip and slowly wound her arms around him as well. "I've uh...found some...things in the research that..." 

When she didn't continue, he tightened his arms around her. "Can't read your mind, Chlo. You have to say it." No matter what it might be, he thought. 

"Sometimes people who are uh...crazy," she whispered. "...are the ones who have psychic abilities." Her voice was barely audible. 

He put his chin on her shoulder. "I already know Sam's nuts, mostly because he's my brother, but I don't believe you're crazy. Not for a second... except for the loving me part." 

"No, Dean, you don't...understand." She swallowed hard. 

He held onto her. "Make me understand," he said, his voice grave with concern. 

Chloe slowly pulled away from him, though she slid her fingers through his. "My mom is..." She paused. "She's sick." 

His eyes grew dark and serious. "Is she okay?" he asked her, turning her around to look at her. 

"No," she whispered. 

He pulled her chin up and looked into her troubled eyes. "What's wrong with her?" He was beginning to understand why she hated this situation so much. 

Chloe gazed into his eyes. "She's in an institution." 

Dean held her gaze and touched her cheek. "Can I ask for what?" He had a sneaking suspicion that her mom was insane, in some way, shape, or form. 

"Catatonic schizophrenia," she murmured, dropping her eyes. 

He sucked in a breath and pulled Chloe into his arms, burying his face into her neck. He sighed in despair. "Damn," he whispered, "I have no idea what that is, but it sounds bad." 

"It's incurable...pretty much untreatable...and hereditary," she said quietly, resting her head against his. 

His whole body went numb for a moment. "You mean... you're trying to tell me that... No, I don't believe it." There had to be someway to keep her from getting it, he thought. 

"It could be why I can hear Sam and no one else can." 

He pulled her away to look into her eyes. "You're not crazy, Chloe. It's something else." His grip on her tightened a little as his eyes burned with determination. 

"You hope," she whispered. 

"Damn right I hope. You're my girl. I don't want anything to be wrong with you." He leaned in and kissed her gently to emphasize his words. 

Closing her eyes, she kissed him back, resting a hand against his cheek. "I love you." 

"I love you too, Chlo." He leaned into her touch and smiled a little. "And I'm here." He brushed her blonde hair out of her face and kissed her, lingering over her lips. 

"Even if you are freaked out?" she whispered. 

"Freaked out, weirded out, and totally jealous," he admitted, pulling her body against his. 

"Well that makes two of us. Well...minus the jealous part." She leaned her forehead against his. 

He laughed, a little breathless at her presence. "Don't worry, I've got enough envy for both of us," he whispered and closed his eyes. He hesitated a long moment. "Stay with me tonight?" 

"If you want me to," she whispered, swallowing hard. 

He frowned a little. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked, pulling back and looking at her. He longed to hold her again: it had been much too long since they'd spent any time together. Alone. 

"Well the whole weird, freaky thing for one." 

He smirked knowingly. "Hey, there's some good things about being a little weird and freaky." His eyes gleamed with need. 

Her eyes widened. "Why am I surprised that you're thinking about freaky?" 

"Because I only think with my downstairs brain, like Sam once told me," he smirked, snaking his hands under her nightshirt and stroking her stomach gently. 

She bit her lower lip, her body instantly responding to his touch. She pressed her lips against his and slid her arms around his neck. 

"Chloe," he moaned, gliding his hands up her back and around her torso, exploring while his mouth moved over hers, asking rather than demanding. 

She shifted closer to him, their bodies pressed flushed together intimately. "Hmm?" 

"Stay." His mouth trailed down to nip at her earlobe as his hands fumbled at unbuttoning her top. 

"Not going anywhere," she murmured, shivering involuntarily as he started to remove her pajamas. 

Stripping off her clothes slowly, he felt his lungs bereft of all air. "You're beautiful," he whispered, putting her down on the bed and resting his head against her breasts. 

She slid her hand over the back of his neck, closing her eyes. "So are you." 

He tweaked a nipple with his finger, smiling at the pleasurable response she gave him. "Not like you are. I'm all scars." Inside and out, he thought briefly. His hands trailed down her body lightly, giving her goose bumps and making him harder by the minute. 

"Far from it," she whispered, cupping his face and lifting her head to gaze at him intently. 

He held her gaze, and in it he saw something... indefinable. "What are you thinking?" he asked frankly, hoping she'd talk to him. 

"About how much I've missed you," she whispered. 

He smirked lovingly. "God, tell me about it," he murmured, putting his attention back onto her lush breasts, touching and licking them slowly. 

She groaned, swallowing hard as his mouth trailed against her soft flesh. "You...are really good at that." 

"Just now figuring that out?" he rasped, his hands reaching into her pajama bottoms to take them off. 

"Never said that." She lifted her hips to help him finish undressing her. 

Once naked, he pulled her up so that she straddled his lap. She moved her core against his jeans, making him shudder with desire. "My turn," he whispered, kissing her neck, hitting that sensitive spot and sucking a little. 

"You are...very overdressed, Mr. Winchester," she whispered, nipping at his earlobe. 

He groaned. "What... you gonna... do about it... Ms. Sullivan?" His breath hitched in his throat with every move of her hips against his. 

She smirked. "Well if you don't help me undress you you're gonna end up messy for one.”

"Then stop wriggling, woman, and get me outta these things," he demanded, tugging out of his shirt and nearly ripping it in two. 

She yanked the shirt over his head and discarded it over her shoulder. Then she pressed her hands to his chest and pushed him down onto the bed, a smile on her face as she moved her hands to the button on his jeans. 

Dean stroked her arms as she pushed his jeans and boxers off his body, then moved over him, looking at his thick manhood, her eyes wide. "What's wrong?" he asked, grinning widely. 

"What makes you think something's wrong?" she asked with a smirk before lowering her head and taking him in her mouth. 

"Shit," he grunted, feeling her tongue slide against his thickness slowly as she gently sucked him. His hips jerked, wanting to be further inside her. He leaned his head back, eyes closed, while his hands reached down and threaded his fingers through her hair. 

Chloe rested her hands lightly on his hips as she took him more deeply in her mouth. 

He groaned loudly. "Fuck, Chloe, you're killing me." He desperately wanted her to move faster, but she seemed content tasting his pre-cum against her tongue. At the rate she was going, however, he wasn't going to last very long. 

She slowly lifted her head to look at him with raised eyebrows. "Well I guess I could stop..." 

His eyes intense with love and lust, he dragged her up and positioned her hips over him, his tip touching her wet core. "Don't stop," he whispered, gazing at her hungrily. 

She groaned as she slowly lowered herself onto him, feeling his thickness stretch her. She closed her eyes, biting down on her lower lip. 

Their collective moans resounded in the room as she rode him, slowly at first, his hands gripping her hips to steady the rhythm she set, his hips rising to meet hers as they moved together. "Faster," he whispered, feeling his climax near. 

She rested her hands against his chest, grinding her hips down against his urgently. 

Biting his own lip, her fast-paced bucking against him. When she spread her thighs wider, taking him in more fully, he watched her climax wash over her, making him come suddenly, too. It hit him so hard he saw stars, and with a final thrust, he emptied himself into her, feeling her body spasm against him. 

Exhausted, Chloe slowly laid down with her head on his chest, panting for breath. 

Dean wrapped his rubbery arms around her, too tired and breathless to do anything else. They just lay there, breathing heavy, sweat mingling, their bodies still joined. 

She shut her eyes, listening to the sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear. 

"See?" he whispered, stroking her damp hair away from her face. "Freaky. I love that." 

"That was freaky?" she asked, placing a soft kiss to his collarbone. 

"What you just did with your mouth?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. "I never knew you could do that." 

"I'm a woman of many talents." 

Rolling her onto her back, he looked her in the eye. "Something I intend to thoroughly explore as much as possible." He chuckled and kissed her full lips. 

"Well, how do you think I got my job at the Daily Planet?" she asked with a straight face. 

He made a face. "You slept your way to the top?" he joked, getting a jab in the ribs for his trouble. 

"You know, most people would've bought that," she said with a faint smile. 

"But not me," he whispered softly, playfully rubbing his ribs. 

"No. Not you," she said just as softly, gazing at him. 

He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and pulled her head onto his chest. He sighed, hoping he'd be able to keep her to himself at least for the night. 

Chloe shut her eyes as she rested her head against his chest. She knew he was thinking about it again and she had no idea how to make it easier for him. 

He felt her relax in his arms, though he suddenly felt anything but. Holy shit, he wondered, did Sam hear anything? He stiffened a little in panic, utterly grossed out at the mere contemplation. 

"What's wrong, Dean?" she asked, feeling him tense beneath her and lifting her head to look at him. 

It was on the tip of his tongue to push off what he was thinking, but something told him not to. "Uh... I just had a really disgusting thought," he whispered into the dark. 

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Okay...and that would be...?" 

He swallowed hard. "What if..." He hesitated, suddenly wishing she could read his mind. "Fuck, Chloe. I was wondering if... you know..." He pointed to his head, unable to speak the words. 

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes widening. "That is disgusting. God." 

"Hey, I told you it was gross," he protested, moving away from her and rubbing his face wearily. 

It suddenly occurred to her that this whole connection with Sam was going to be a lot more of a problem than she ever realized. Feeling tired and drained all of a sudden, she moved off the bed and quickly pulled her pajamas back on silently. 

Without looking at her, he said, "Please don't leave me." He didn't think he could make it through the night without her. "I need you to stay, Chloe." 

"I'm not leaving," she said softly. 

He nodded. "Good." He stood up and pulled on his boxers and t-shirt before getting into bed again. Only then did he dare look at her. Dean hated himself for his jealousy, his anxiety over something none of them had control over. 

"I've got him shut out of my mind," she told him, not looking at him. 

He glanced over at her: she was still standing by the bed. "For once, I wasn't thinking about you," he muttered. 

"So you were thinking about me being in Sam's head?" 

He bowed his head and said nothing for several moments. "Just call me ass, okay? Stray thoughts happen, dammit." 

"I'm not reading Sam's mind either. The whole mental barrier cuts off the connection both ways, Dean." She sat down on the edge of the bed, her back toward him. 

"Okay," he replied. "Like I said, it was a disgusting thought. I won't mention it again." He rolled over and closed his eyes, hoping she'd come back to bed. 

No, she thought painfully. You'll just think about it and wonder until it drives you crazy. Sighing very softly, she crawled under the covers. "Goodnight," she said softly. 

"Goodnight," he whispered, not moving. He wondered now if he would ever find sleep, even with Chloe there with him. 

&&&&&

The next morning, Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wondering if anyone was going to speak. Chloe had barely looked at him, Sam and Sarah didn't look like they were on speaking terms, and quite frankly, he wanted nothing more than to crawl into the woodwork. Awkward, he thought, glancing at Chloe.

Sarah stood up suddenly. "I'm hungry." She needed something to do while Sam and Chloe were figuring out their mental connection. She had yet to find anything remotely connected to this issue. 

Feeling even more alienated than she had been as Sarah got up to leave, Chloe stared at the table blankly. 

Picking up the keys, Sarah said, "I'm taking the car, okay?" She didn't look around the room at anyone.

"I'll... go with you," Dean said softly, rising slowly and giving Chloe and Sam quick looks. Since neither of them seemed to want to talk -- or they were too busy mentally chatting with each other -- he figured there was nowhere else to go. 

She shut her eyes. "See ya," she responded dully to both of them. 

Neither said a word as Dean let Sarah out the door first.

Sam let out the breath he'd been holding. "Okay, I know why Sarah's not talking to me... but what did Dean say this time?" He looked over at Chloe, who looked like she was going to pass out. 

"I don't wanna talk about it," she answered, not looking at him. 

His eyes stayed on her as he smiled sadly. "Okay, whatever." He stood up and walked to the window. "So you got any ideas on how to get rid of this connection we have?" 

She was quiet for a moment. "Not exactly." 

_Then got any ideas on how I can accept this?_ he asked, letting his mental block down a little bit, despite the headache that caused. 

She winced a little as she felt him pushing lightly against her mind. _Maybe if we get far enough away from each other it'll be broken._

 _No,_ he immediately thought. He knew if she left, Dean would follow her, and he knew that wouldn't be a good idea. 

She rested her head in her hands. _I could just go back to Metropolis. It'd probably be easier with everyone._

He pinched his nose and sighed. "That's not the answer and you know it," he said out loud, turning around and looking at her. 

"Well I don't have any answers, Sam," she said softly, not looking up. 

He ran a hand through his hair. "Then there's only one thing left to do." He looked at the door and yanked it open. 

"What are you doing?" 

He said nothing as he left the room and headed for his room. 

"Sam?" Chloe rose to her feet and slowly followed him. 

Once in his room, he grabbed his back and started packing. There wasn't any sense in his sticking around if it was going to create friction. After all, it was all his fault, this new damn power of his. 

"Whoa. Stop." Chloe's eyes were wide with alarm as she stood in the doorway. 

Sam ignored her. "It's better this way," he said, stuffing his laptop into his bag and zipping it shut. 

"No, it's not, Sam." She folded her arms across her chest. 

He turned to face her, his eyes dark with determination. "I need to do this myself, Chlo. It's not worth watching the friction between you and Dean. And Sarah..." He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. She wouldn't miss him when he left. 

"The hell she won't," she snapped, her eyes narrowing. "Sarah loves you!" 

"Maybe she did, but now... no, she'll be better off without me." He slung his bag over his shoulder and started for the door. 

She didn't move out of the way. "Look, I think...if we work on this maybe we can just...get it under control." 

He resisted the urge to move her out of the way. "I've got no idea how to even start controlling this. I've researched mind reading until my brain fell out. You got ideas? I'll be open to them." 

She gazed at him. _Well it doesn't involve you running away_ , she thought, giving him a pointed look. 

_Why not?_ he asked her, looking at her. _It's helped me in the past._

 _Yeah it sure did,_ she thought wryly, holding his gaze. 

"Shut up," he spoke aloud, his head pounding. He dropped his bag gently on the floor and sighed. "Okay, teach... I won't run if you don't." 

_I'm a lot less important to this whole thing than you are,_ she thought before shutting down the mental link. "All right. I read something about...connected meditation," she said hesitantly. 

He sighed, knowing Chloe was more important than she knew. "Then you found something I didn't." 

"I think...we should get out of here though," she said softly. 

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Where are we going?" And how much would Dean and Sarah freak out when they came back to find us gone? he thought absently. 

_We'll leave them a note_ , she thought with a faint smile. And we are in the desert, Sam. 

He rolled his eyes in mock irritation, then jotted a quick note to Dean and Sarah for when they returned with breakfast. "So, what, we're trekking into the desert? A forty days/forty nights kind of thing?" 

"Uh yeah. Minus the forty days and forty nights part," she said wryly. "Apparently this kind of thing works better in natural environments." 

"Go figure," he replied thoughtfully, leading the way out of his hotel room. "So is this someplace we can just walk to, or should I call a cab?" 

"I think we can just walk." She shrugged. 

Nodding, Sam led them across the parking lot to the street, where he looked both ways. There was absolutely nothing on the road, making him wonder why he bothered stopping first. They crossed the street and into the desert wasteland that lay ahead. 

Feeling nervous, she walked alongside him in silence, keeping the mental wall between them. 

"How far?" Sam asked, feeling the wall between them and thanking her for maintaining it. This was... too much for him, he thought. 

"Not too much farther. I think we're almost far enough away from the road and the motel." 

Sam fell back to let Chloe take the lead. She knew where she was going, and he was more than willing to let her take over. 

Surprised that he was letting her take the lead, she realized it was just one of the ways that he and Dean differed. A faint smile touched her lips. 

Several minutes passed before Chloe suddenly stopped. "If you wanted the middle of nowhere," Sam commented idly, "you've succeeded... and Dean's nothing like me." 

"That's where you're wrong," she responded, turning to look at him. 

He blinked in surprise. "About what? I'm not wrong that often, you know." 

She laughed out loud at that remark. 

Sam crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "Nice. Laugh at the psychic wonder, why don't ya?" 

She grinned at him. "I was just laughing at the idea that you weren't wrong very often," she teased. 

He gave her a mockingly sad look. "Hey, you're mean," he teased gently. 

She smiled, knowing he was just teasing. "I know. I'm merciless," she joked, slowly sitting down on the ground Indian-style. 

He sat down across from her. "I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole," he muttered, looking around and clearing his throat. "Okay, Jedi Master. Now what?" 

She rolled her eyes. "Try to...clear your head, I guess," she said uncertainly, closing her eyes. 

_Clear my head_ , he thought, shutting his eyes. It took a few minutes, but gradually he was able to turn off all thought. There were no voices, not even his. Cool, he thought. _Now what?_

She was startled to hear his voice in her head without feeling any pain. _Whoa, the pain's gone._

 _Okay, this is weird, Sam thought,_ hearing Chloe's thoughts as clear as a bell without any pain at all. _Is it the silence that's doing it?_

_I think so. I think that's what this is all about--being able to tune everything out and focus._

He smiled, thinking noting in return for her to hear. He sat there, enjoying the silence for the first time in several days. 

A faint smile touched her lips as she too, enjoyed the silence. _Can you hear me now?_ she joked a few minutes later. 

He snorted, resisting the urge to answer that asinine question. _I guess I need to learn to find this inner calm when_... He deliberately blocked the rest of that thought from her. 

She raised an eyebrow as he cut himself off. _Somehow I think I'm glad you didn’t finish that thought._

 _Yeah, it'll be nice to get back to my mind just being mine_ , he thought, pleased he could block her at will. A small smile curved across his lips. 

_Trust me when I say, me too._

"We need to figure out how you're able to read my mind," Sam said out loud, opening his eyes and looking at her. He definitely didn't like the idea of things being so strained while they had an all-access pass to each others' minds. 

She winced a little, not looking at him. 

"And I don't think it's because you think you're crazy," he continued, looking steadily at her. It was a gut thing, he realized, and he didn't have anything to back up his theory... yet. 

"You heard that, huh?" Her eyes remained glued to the ground. 

He nodded, saying nothing. _Wasn't intentional,_ he thought. _But you're really not nuts, unless you wanna include you loving my brother. That's pretty insane, if you ask me,_ he joked. 

It could just be starting, she responded, slowly letting down her guard and letting him have access to the parts of her mind involving her mother and her illness. 

Sam saw her mother, her mental state, and Chloe's intense fear of one day being just like her: institutionalized and alone. _How does this disease start?_ he asked her, thinking he needed to research her mother's disease. He still didn't believe it was this. 

A wry, but sad smile touched her face. _I have no idea. You'd think after everything I've seen and..._

Chloe bit her lip. _I haven't done any real research on it. I've...been afraid to,_ she admitted without looking at him. 

"I think it's time we did," he said out loud, staring at her. "It's important for you and your peace of mind." 

Chloe closed her eyes. "And if I'm right?" 

Worry clouded his eyes. "Then at least you'll have an answer, and we can deal with it together." He briefly thought about Dean and smiled, knowing his brother would never let her go... no matter what might happen to her. 

"Speaking of...how exactly are we going to convince Dean and Sarah that we're not having secret mind meetings all the time?” 

It was his turn to look down, not meeting her eyes. "I don't know, Chloe. She's really freaked out about it." More than she's letting on, he thought. 

"I know she is. And...so is Dean." She sighed softly. 

He smirked a little. "It's a wonder Dean hasn't kicked my ass yet." As for Sarah, well... He blocked his thoughts about her, because he didn't want Chloe to know how pained he was, thinking she might not want him around. 

"He knows you can't control it. Well, that you couldn't anyway. But...he was pretty freaked last night," she admitted. 

"Tell me about it," he replied, sighing just a little. "I hope they can both..." He shrugged helplessly. "I don't know if deal with it is the right phrase or not." 

"Do you think they'll believe we've got it under control?" she asked after a moment. 

He was thoughtful for a long moment. He kept the wall up between their minds, choosing to speak out loud. "I hope so, Chloe. Maybe if we were less quiet around each other, not reading each other's thoughts." 

She sighed very softly. "It's not intentional." 

"I know it isn't," he protested gently. "But I know Dean's noticed it... so has Sarah, though she hasn't said anything about it." He stared at his hands, wondering if he could win her trust again. 

Chloe stared at the ground, watching emotionless as a large beetle burrowed into the ground. "So we just...promise to keep these mental blocks up, no matter what." 

He looked up and at her, his face set in stony determination. "No matter what," he repeated, standing up and offering her a hand. 

She hesitated only a second before sliding her hand into his and letting him help her to her feet. "You have other abilities you need to work on honing, Sam." Her voice was quiet and she gazed at him intently. 

"I can't control my visions," he replied immediately, taking a step back and squinting down at her. 

"Those aren't the abilities I was talking about." 

"Then what--" He stopped, looking away from her. "You mean these 'feelings' I get? My sixth sense? Or my ability to move bookcases with a single angry thought?" 

"All of the above," Chloe said quietly. 

Frustrated, he ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "Look, can we deal with one demonic part of me at a time?" 

"Angelic," she responded without missing a beat. 

"Whatever," he grumbled, turning and taking a few steps away. "Not like you can prove that, either." 

"And you can't prove I'm wrong." She folded her arms across her chest, gazing at him intently. 

He didn't turn around but smiled instead. "I hate it when you look at me like that," he joked sadly, knowing that neither one could prove their position at this point. 

"Like what?" she asked innocently, a grin tugging at her lips. 

Sam rolled his eyes and smirked. "That one where you pretty much demand your way without saying a thing. I get why Dean gets so crazy when you do that." 

"It used to drive Clark crazy, too." She smirked. "Guess I should patent the look and try to sell it on Ebay. I could make some fast cash." 

"We could stop running credit card scams to make a living," he replied with a grin. "You could support us." 

Chloe grinned. "Just like a guy to make the woman do all the work," she responded lightly, moving past him as she headed back toward the hotel. 

He followed her, smiling widely. "But if the girl's offering..." His words trailed off as they walked back to civilization in silence. For the first time in what seemed an eternity, his head didn't ache. The drumming of random thoughts weren't shooting across his mind. For now, at least, his thoughts were his own. And he could at least accept that part of himself. 

&&&&&

When Chloe and Sam returned to the hotel, she tensed a little when she spotted Dean and Sarah in her room, both of them quiet and not looking very happy. Not that she could really blame them. She wouldn't be thrilled if Dean had a mental connection with Sarah and not her. Somehow that knowledge didn't make this situation any easier. 

Dean saw Sam and Chloe and stood up, glancing back at Sarah, who looked small and pale. It had been a stressful and tense hour: with neither of them sure where the others had gone, their words were few and stilted. And while he might have been happy to see them, he had to wonder. He brushed past Sarah and away from the door, pacing the room. 

Sam drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "Freaky mind power number three is under control," he announced, looking from his brother to Sarah. 

Sarah didn't look at Sam. She simply nodded, unable to speak. She looked at her hands, picking and her nails to keep her mind occupied and off the one thing she couldn't stop thinking about.

"Good to know... I think," Dean replied, looking at his brother before glancing at Chloe. 

Chloe gazed back at Dean steadily. "It's a good thing." 

"So this means no more silent conversations between friends?" he snarked, trying to mask his hurt feelings. Once again, he'd been left out of the loop. 

"We figured out how to put and keep mental barriers between us. No more silent conversations. Ever." Her voice was quiet. 

"Ever," Sam echoed in agreement, gazing at Sarah. 

Feeling his eyes on her, Sarah looked up and into Sam's intensely determined ones. For a moment she thought she saw the spark of hope in Sam's eyes again, but she didn't know if her brain could process this yet. She smiled a little and nodded.

Dean looked at Chloe, then at Sam. And back at Chloe. "Okay," he whispered, shrugging as he sat down. "Where'd you two go, anyway?" 

"Just for a walk," she answered, winding her arms around herself. "I found a meditation online that helped us get this sorted out." 

Sarah looked at Chloe. "You mean that thing I saw you reading last night?" 

"That'd be the one," she answered, turning to look at Sarah. 

She offered Chloe a small smile. "I thought that was for you," she replied, smiling a little bit at her.

Great, Dean thought. They're all in on it and not bothering to tell me. He resumed his pacing. 

She turned to look at him, seemingly reading his thoughts. "We should talk." 

Sarah took that as the queue to leave. Glancing at Sam, she stood. "Um, I'll let you two... yeah." She looked at Sam and left the room in a hurry. 

"Yeah. I'll see you guys later," Sam agreed, following her out the door quickly. 

Dean wanted to turn around and look at her but couldn't. He knew the expression on her face, knew what she was going to say. "Chloe..." he began, stopping when he didn't know how to continue. 

Chloe was silent for a long moment. "It's okay." Her voice was quiet. 

In so many ways it wasn't, but he didn't want to rehash that can of worms. "How's Sam doing?" he asked quietly, his voice devoid of emotion. 

"I think he's all right now that he has his mind back to himself," she answered, her own voice flat. 

"Yeah, must be a relief for you, too." He slowly turned around and looked at her, seeing her careful posture and wondering how to get over hang-up. 

"Understatement," she responded, looking at him guardedly. 

He threw her a curious look and stepped forward. "What, you didn't like Sam's thoughts in your head?" 

"Thanks, but I'll pass. I prefer to keep my head to myself. I don't need to be hearing extra voices up here. Makes me feel like I'm that much closer to insanity." 

"Don't say that. Ever again," he replied, closing the physical gap between them. "You're not insane, Chloe. You never will be." 

Chloe didn't answer, simply gazed at him. 

Her fragile look suddenly scared him, and when he reached for her, he was a little more than surprised when she stepped into his embrace. He held her close, their bodies warm against each other. "We'll get to the bottom of this, okay?" he whispered against her hair. 

Closing her eyes, she slid her arms around him, resting her head against his chest and listening to the sound of his strong, steady heart beat. "Are we okay?" she whispered, blinking back tears that welled in her eyes. 

His arms tightened around her. After all they had been through, and she still felt the need to ask that question. He couldn't blame her, though: it wasn't like he was the best thing for her. "We're okay," he whispered back, kissing the top of her head. 

Swallowing hard, she tightened her arms around him as well. "Good. Because I love you," she whispered. 

A low rumble of laughter caught in his throat. "I never get tired of hearing you say that," he replied, pulling her back so he could kiss her full lips. 

She lifted a hand to his cheek and returned the kiss. "Good. Then get used to it. You're gonna hear it a lot." 

He growled in agreement and kissed her again, lingering over her mouth with a kiss that held as much a promise as it did a confirmation. "I really wanna stay here, with you..." he started, a gleam in his eyes. 

"But...?" 

He sighed. "I think I should go talk to the boy wonder next door." He glanced at the front door, wondering how to make peace with his brother. 

"I think that's a good idea." 

"Figured you would." Dean stepped away from her and threw her the key to his extra room with a knowing smile. 

A faint smirk tugged at her lips. "Is this some kind of hint?" she asked, her eyes shining with amusement. 

"Maybe." He waggled his eyebrows at her and walked out of the room, his head held high for a change. 

She grinned and shook her head. He wanted a surprise? He was gonna get one. A wicked grin settling on her lips, she moved to get her suitcase. 

&&&&&

The satisfied smile on Dean's face disappeared when he walked next door and went in to see Sarah on her way out, her face more depressed and down than he had ever seen her. He watched her leave before turning to look at Sam. "Dude, what did you say to her?" he demanded. 

Looking weary, he rubbed a hand over his face. "Forget it. What's up?" 

"You, man," he replied, a little concerned at Sam's demeanor. "You're chasing Sarah out of the room, you look like hell. I was gonna try to talk peace with you, but now..." He sighed in frustration. 

"You and Chloe work things out?" 

He laughed. "You get to ask me questions about my love life but not the other way around?" 

He shot Dean a look and lay back on the bed, yawning. 

He rolled his eyes and turned around, heading for the door. "Whatever, dude. You don't wanna talk, fine." 

"I just think I should...back off from this thing with Sarah for a little while. Until I get these other powers under control," he whispered. 

Stopping and turning around, Dean's frown furrowed deeper. "And did you tell her that, little brother?" he asked. 

"Yeah. I can't just lead her on, Dean." 

It seemed that it was too late for that, based on the look on the brunette's face, but Dean didn't say that. "Okay," he whispered. "About those other powers, Sammy. How exactly do you intend to get them under control?" 

"I'm not sure yet. But...Chloe found a way to get the mind reading under control. Which means...there's gotta be a way to get the others under control too." 

"What, you mean your weirdo visions and moving things by thinking it?" 

"I don't think there's going to be a way to control the visions. But the telekinesis, yeah." 

"Wait, I thought that was a one-time deal," Dean replied, a little concerned. 

"Somehow I don't think so, Dean," he murmured, slowly sitting up to look at his brother. 

"Damn," he whispered, remembering his father's words and wondering for what seemed like the hundredth time about why he had to die and handle this burden alone. 

"Chloe seems to think if I get it under control that...I'll somehow feel better." 

"Gotta say, that'd be a good thing, dude. This moping gets old after awhile." His tone was light and slightly playful, trying to get Sam more out of himself. And to keep him from honing in on their father's words. 

A faint smile tugged at his lips. "So I'm gonna start researching telekinesis," he told his brother, a determined glint in his eyes. 

"We're gonna research this," Dean corrected him with a smirk. "All of us." 

"Thanks, Dean," he said, his voice quiet. 

"Sam," he replied, looking at his brother, his voice and eyes filled with meaning. 

Nodding a little, Sam rose to his feet, still gazing at his brother. "You should go spend some time with Chloe." 

Glancing at the wall, Dean thought Chloe was probably busy talking to Sarah, who by all accounts needed a shoulder to cry on. "Nah, I'll hang out here for a little while. She's probably... busy." He cast a knowing look at Sam. 

He winced a little. "All right." He raised an eyebrow. "Poker?" 

"Texas Hold 'Em," he replied, sitting down at the table and grabbing the cards from Sam's bag. He hoped, more than anything, that he and Sarah would eventually patch things up. Because he knew that girl was the best thing to happen to his brother, and if he didn't realize he was worthy of her soon...

Dean let that thought hang as Sam sat down, two beers in hand, ready to play.

&&&&&

Sarah didn't pay much attention to Chloe as she burst through the door, tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks, Sam's basic rejection of her still fresh in her mind. 

Quickly dropping her bag at the look on Sarah's face, Chloe felt her heart sink. Obviously things hadn't gone so well between Sam and Sarah as they had between her and Dean. "Hey. What happened?" 

She was startled a bit by Chloe's presence but quickly recovered. "He doesn't want me," she muttered, the tears falling freely as she grabbed her suitcase and yanked it open, packing her stuff. 

"What?" She quickly moved over and put a hand on her friend's arm. 

She paused and looked down at her things. "He doesn't want me," she repeated miserably, her voice quiet with defeat. 

"Yes, he does," Chloe said softly. "More than you know." 

She bit back a heated and sarcastic retort, not wanting to offend Chloe. Her friend had probably read Sam's mind and knew so much about him... and her... more than Sarah would probably ever know. That hurt in too many ways to count. "Yeah, well he has a funny way of showing it," she finally whispered, resuming her packing. 

"Sam's scared, Sarah. This whole thing...threw him for a huge loop. He's...afraid that his other abilities are gonna wind up hurting you." 

"So why do I have to hear these things through you and not him?" she shouted, slamming her suitcase shut with a loud bang. She swirled around and faced Chloe. "When he tells me we should take a step back for awhile? Without explaining anything?" Her eyes were bright with tears, her cheeks red from her anger and hurt. 

Chloe flinched involuntarily and looked at the floor. "Because he's a guy, Sarah. And...different as they might be, at the end of the day...communication? Still not their best feature." 

"Not even when I begged him, Chloe," she replied, her voice despairing. "I actually begged him to tell me why, and he still wouldn't tell me. Damn him." She moved to the bathroom to clean herself up. Did Sam really think so little of her suddenly that she wasn't even worth an explanation? "I've tried helping him, Chloe, but if he doesn't want me in his life, then why am I sticking around?" 

"Because he does want you in his life. He's just...too stupid to say so. Look, I had the same kinda thoughts earlier. I was ready to pack and go back to Metropolis. But it wouldn't have made things any better. Running never solves anything." Her voice lowered. "Believe me. I know." 

She put a cool cloth over her eyes, trying to cool her burning eyes and listening to Chloe's words. She then sat down on the bathtub rim and sighed. "What am I supposed to do in the meantime, Chloe? Wait for him to wake up and smell the hottie?" 

A faint smile tugged at Chloe's lips. "He has." She rested a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Just...don't leave. Please. Sam's not the only one who needs you, you know." 

"Thanks," she whispered, taking the cloth off her face but looking at it in her hands. Chloe and Dean had each other, it seemed: maybe they needed her, too. For research. It was better than nothing, she supposed. "So I guess I should... find my own place to sleep tonight?" She snuck a glance in Chloe's direction. 

Her cheeks flushed. "Dean...still has a room of his own, so...you can just...have this one." 

She stifled a knowing yet sad giggle. "Okay, then. You should go... get ready. Go see Dean. You two fighting and not talking has been hard to watch." 

Chloe's blush deepened. "Right. Okay. Are you sure you're okay? I can stay here if you want." 

Can you fix a broken heart? Sarah wondered, looking at her friend and knowing she wanted to be where Dean was. She sighed. "I'm fine, okay? Just... I need some sleep." 

"Okay." She gazed at her for a moment. She stood up slowly. "If you need me, I'm just down the hall." 

"Sure, Chloe." She mustered a small smile as she watched Chloe grab something from the suitcase on her bed and leave the hotel room. She sat there for awhile, crying for everything she felt she was missing out on, for the things she longed to have but seemed always just beyond her grasp. 

Chloe was a mixture of nervous and excited as she slipped into Dean's room using the spare key he'd given her. She immediately headed to the bathroom, unsure of how much time she had before he'd arrive. She changed quickly into the lingerie she'd bought in Louisiana and hadn't had a chance to wear yet. Feeling awkward and uncertain as she stared at herself in the mirror, she bit her lower lip. “Well, here goes nothing, Sullivan," she whispered, moving out to the king-sized bed and laid down on it, waiting. 

After two hours of playing poker, Dean realized his brother was tired. It didn't matter that he was also losing badly. "Dude, I'm leaving," he muttered, standing up. 

"Night," Sam responded, immediately dropping his cards onto the table and heading for the bathroom. 

Shaking his head and wondering where Sam had learned to cheat at cards, Dean unlocked the door to his room and opened it. He stepped in and saw darkness, save for a silhouetted body lying on the bed. He smiled a little. "Chloe," he whispered, taking a few steps towards her before he got a good look at what she was wearing. 

"Holy crap," he whispered, seeing her clad in little more than lacy teddy, leaving little for his rampant imagination and hard body. 

A smile tugged at her lips, his words leaving little doubt in her mind just how much he liked what she'd picked out at Victoria Secret. 

Shrugging off his shirt in a hurry, he grinned in anticipation. "Victoria knows how to give away her secrets, doesn't she?" he whispered, crawling onto bed beside her and lying on his side. "You look..." He searched for the words as he played with one of the thin straps on her shoulder. 

Chloe gazed at him in the darkness of the room, lifting a hand to his cheek. 

He found her cheek and pulled her to him, kissing her hot and hard. He pulled her close to him, frustrated by the clothing that separated their bodies. 

Their tongues engaged in an intense duel and she slid one hand around to cup the back of his neck, shifting closer to him, sliding one of her legs between his. 

He groaned as her thigh connected with his groin, then slid slowly against him. "Tease," he growled, his hand trailing down to cup her bottom and curl her against him. 

Chloe grinned at him before nipping lightly at his lower lip. "Not at all. I have every intention of following through, Mr. Winchester," she whispered, dropping her mouth to press kisses along his jaw. 

"You gonna show me how?" he whispered in her ear as he lightly bit her earlobe. His body was hard and urgently cried out for hers, though he wanted them to take their time. 

She raised an eyebrow and lifted her head to look at him. "That's the general plan," she teased. 

"Good," he said, smiling as he pulled her on top of him and caressed her body through the thin fabric of her lingerie, his body quaking literally at the noises she was making as he touched her. 

Chloe licked her lips as his hands explored her curves. She gazed down at him for a moment before lowering her head to kiss his chest, sliding her hands down to rest on his hips. 

Dean closed his eyes in pleasurable agony as she kissed and licked his chest, her hands applying pressure against his hips, her lower body sliding against his. His hands trailed to her hips and squeezed gently before he slipped the straps off her shoulders and pulled the teddy off her. He stroked her back as she continued kissing him. 

She drew in a breath, kissing her way down his abdomen and sitting up to undo the button on his jeans. 

Helping her slide his jeans and boxers off him, he rolled them over so she was underneath. His lips tugged at one of her nipples while his hands tried to take off the rest of her underwear. When it wouldn't budge, he whispered, "Help me get this damn thing off you." 

"Awfully eager there, Sport," she said lightly, lifting her hips to help him. 

Chuckling, he peeled the teddy off her and put her hand onto his hardness. "Very... eager," he rasped, his breath hitching in his throat when she moved her hand along his length. 

"So I noticed." Her eyes twinkled as she raised her head to kiss him as her hand stroke his length with firm but gentle movements. 

Dean groaned into her mouth as he moved his hips to the rhythm she had created with her hand. When he started seeing stars and knew his control was slipping, he whispered raggedly, "Stop." 

Chloe smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth. "You have other ideas in mind?" 

Using her hand to guide him into her hot, wet core, he grinned. "Hell yeah," he mouthed inaudibly, smirking. 

She slid her legs around his waist, raising her hips to meet him halfway. 

He gave her body a moment to stretch around and accept his entrance. But when his eyes met hers and saw the same need mirrored in his, he began to move. Slowly at first, though her movements demanded he move faster. Harder. His will gone, he buried his face into her shoulder as they both came together, his body spasming as he felt her orgasm hit her. 

Breathing heavily, she smoothed her hands over the taut muscles in his back, pressing a soft kiss to his temple as she closed her eyes, her body relaxing beneath his. "Love you," she whispered. 

"Oh my God," Dean said, his breathing coming in short pants as he tried to regain the will to move off her. "Chloe, you... you're amazing." His heart was too full of love for her to say anything else. 

A faint smile touched her lips and when he tried to pull away, she slid her arms around him to keep him in place. 

"You alright?" he asked, looking down at her. He kissed her softly to emphasize his concern. 

"I'm good," she whispered, gazing up at him. 

He smirked, feeling utterly satisfied with himself. "Glad I could be of service," he teased, playing with her hair lovingly. 

Chloe smirked in return. "I think that service thing is very much a two-way street," she informed him. 

"Yeah, you know it, baby." Moving off her, he pulled her with him and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Chloe," he whispered, gazing into her green eyes and losing himself in them. 

A content smile spread across her face at his soft words. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips and then laid her head on his chest. 

He was quiet for several minutes, enjoying the simplicity of her body pressed against his, her breath moving lightly across his chest. "Where'd you buy that thing?" he whispered. 

"Louisiana," she admitted, her voice soft. She closed her eyes as she felt his hand began to stroke her hair lightly. 

He chuckled lustfully. "Thinking of gettin' lucky, huh?" Her hair felt like silk, he thought, spreading the length across his chest. 

"Well I pretty much knew I would whether or not I bought lacy undergarments," she said with a faint smirk. "It's not why I bought it." 

"Full of yourself, aren't you?" Dean asked with a sarcastic chuckle. "But why else would you buy something that... delicious?" His body grew hard again, thinking about how it clung to her. 

She lifted her head to look at him, her eyes twinkling. "Just to see the look on your face." 

He was a little surprised at her response. "And did I give you what you wanted?" he whispered, kissing her neck, his body wanting hers again. 

"Mmhmm." She closed her eyes as his mouth trailed over her sensitive skin. "Did I give you what you wanted?" she echoed with a faint smile. 

"Always," he said quietly, his voice mingled with love and need for her. "Not just talking about the hot sex, either." 

That caught her off guard and she lifted her head to look at him once more, her eyes questioning. 

His mouth stopped its tail down her body at her sudden stillness. "I mean it," he whispered, seeing the doubt and uncertainty in her eyes. 

Chloe gazed into his hazel eyes for a long moment before leaning her forehead against his. "Ditto," she whispered back. 

He knew she meant what she said, but he didn't know... "I dunno how I deserve you," he whispered, his hands moving along her body lightly. 

She kissed him softly. "You're a good man, Dean," she murmured, resting a hand against his chest. 

His jaw clenched as he pulled her flush against him. "I don't know about that," he protested lightly. "But I know one thing. You're too good to be true." 

"And yet here I am," she said, her own voice light as she smiled at him, groaning as she felt his hard length beneath her. "And there you are." 

He smiled and moved his hand between them, sliding a finger into her womanhood. "Glad to see I have the same effect," he groaned, feeling her pull his finger into her body. 

Chloe shut her eyes, biting her lower lip as she rocked her hips lightly against his hand out of pure instinct. 

He smiled, watching that familiar habit of chewing on her mouth when she was aroused, feeling her moving along his finger. "You know," he chuckled, slipping a second finger into her, "that's a nasty habit, biting your lip." 

"I could bite yours instead," she managed to say, not quite managing a smirk. 

His palm working with her hips, he whispered, "I like that idea," and kissed her lips as she rode his fingers, reaching her peak quickly. 

A soft cry escaped her as heat and pleasure washed over her an intense wave. She bit down lightly on his lower lip, feeling his hips jerk against hers involuntarily. A smile quirked her lips and she lifted her head to look at him with raised eyebrows. "Learn something new about you every day," she murmured. 

Rolling her over, positioning her hips so her heat tantalized his thickness, he groaned as she lowered herself onto him. "I'm just kinky like that," he whispered, his breath caught in his throat at her beauty. 

She grinned at his words, leaning down to place a kiss against his chest before she began to ride him, grinding her hips hard against his and leading them both toward another maddening climax only moments later. Exhausted, she laid her head on his chest once more, listening to the rapid beating of his heart. 

Dean couldn't stifle the satisfied chuckle as he wrapped her in his arms. "You're killing me," he whispered breathlessly, kissing the top of her head. 

She smiled. "I think we're just proving that old saying..." 

"Which is?" he asked, his mind pleasantly blank for the moment. 

"Something about absence making the heart grow fonder. Although...maybe in our case...abstinence." She chuckled. 

"You're a regular comedian," he snarked softly, rolling them onto their sides and spooning his body behind hers. "We should probably get some sleep." 

"Sleep is good," she murmured with a stifled yawn. She covered his arm that was wrapped around her waist with her own, resting her head on the pillow. 

Caressing the back of her neck with his lips, he sighed softly as he felt her relax against him and fell asleep. He closed his eyes and knew that whatever tomorrow held in store, they would be better able to handle it. Together. "I love you, Chloe Sullivan," he whispered, falling into a dreamless slumber. 

&&&&&

Epilogue

Sarah's eyes blurred with fatigue as she pulled up yet another website producing little more than the same vague information about the wonders of mind control and telekinesis. She sighed, wishing her brain had shut off enough to have slept. Even when Chloe walked in, radiating with positive energy, she did little more than look up from the screen. "Hey, we leaving or what?" she asked tiredly, opening another page and scanning its contents. 

"Yeah, I think so," Chloe answered, stretching her arms above her head and moving toward the closet to get her suitcase. "You get any sleep?" 

"Not like you have," she replied, smiling faintly. She turned around briefly to see the smile on Chloe's face. "I take it... everything went well?" 

Her cheeks turned pink. "Yeah." Definitely went well, she thought as her smile widened a little. "You researching?" 

She nodded, turning back to the computer. "Lot of good it did me," she muttered, sighing in frustration as she scanned the webpage. Her body froze halfway down the page and widened in surprise and fear. "Chloe..." she started, afraid of how to continue. 

"What? What is it?" Chloe turned to face her, her eyes filled with concern. 

"Remember that little problem you guys ran into back in Smallville?" Sarah whispered, horrified at her thoughts. What if they got to Sam? she kept asking herself. 

It took her only a moment to realize Sarah wasn't referring to the woman who'd used astral projection to steal fetuses. She was referring to 33.1. Her eyes narrowing a little, she gazed at Sarah intently. "The Luthors are out?" 

She swallowed hard. "I don't know about that, per se, but... there's apparently a 33.1 factory near here." She swirled around, her troubled eyes on Chloe's face. "What if they get Sam?" she asked, the fear in her voice evident. 

Chloe's face paled a little. "There's another 33.1," she whispered in shock. 

She shook her head. "Not a hundred miles from here. Literally out in the middle of nowhere." She stood up, putting her hands on her cheeks. "You think there are more?" she whispered to herself. 

She shut her eyes, leaning heavily against the wall. Of course there were more. She should have figured that out herself. Even if the Luthors were in prison, clearly their money was still keeping the torture machine running. "Fuck," she whispered. 

"We have to do something," Sarah said, looking at her friend's pale face. She shut her laptop and shoved it into her bag. 

"We will." Her voice was quiet, determined. And when she opened her eyes once more, she found the same determination reflected on Sarah's face. "Get the guys in here." 

She quickly left the room and went next door. Since she found the door cracked, she opened it without knocking. She found Sam and Dean packing their things. "Guys, we... Chloe and I need to talk to you before we leave," she said, not looking directly at Sam.

Glancing over at his brother, Dean said, "Sarah? What's wrong?" 

Sam's eyebrows furrowed with worry at how pale her face was. "What's going on?" 

"Can you come next door? Please?" Bowing her head, she left the doorway.

Dean immediately followed after her. "Sammy, I think Sarah's in trouble." 

Feeling unsettled and more than a little worried, he quickly followed his brother and Sarah into the room next door. He was even more alarmed when he saw that Chloe was just as pale as Sarah was. "What's going on?" 

Chloe swallowed hard, lifting her gaze to look at Dean. 

Dean frowned at seeing both women equally unsettled and knew something bad was wrong. "What the hell is it?" he demanded. His concern grew infinitely when both their gazes settled on Sam.

"It's 33.1," Sarah whispered, holding Sam's eyes. She shoved her hurt and anger from last night behind, needing to focus on this to protect Sam. 

"There's another one. Here." Chloe's voice was quiet. "In the middle of the desert." 

"What?" Dean was stunned, speechless. "I thought we took that damn thing down. What about the Luthors?" 

Chloe shut her eyes as she slowly turned her laptop toward them for them to read the article that had taken her less than 30 seconds to find. "Fully exonerated." 

"Paid off the judge no doubt," Sam said under his breath. 

"Fuck," he muttered out loud. This was the last thing they needed, he thought, his body tense with anger. He glanced over at Sam. "We have to get you outta here," he whispered.

"No," Sarah said, not taking her eyes from Sam. "We need to shut these bastards down." 

"I agree," he said without hesitation. 

A faint smile threatened to spill onto her lips but she bit it back.

"Wait, are you kidding me?" Dean demanded harshly. "Do you think I'm gonna let you get near Luthor after everything that's happened?" 

"Lex Luthor and his father are experimenting on people with abilities, Dean." Sam turned to look at his brother. "We have to shut him down." His voice was determined. 

"Not disagreeing with you, Sam, but I don't want them to get a hold of you, you hear?" 

"They won't," he said firmly. 

Still dubious, he looked at Chloe. "You with these two?" he asked, already knowing the answer in her eyes. 

Chloe met his gaze with an intent one of his own. She knew how badly he wanted her to vote against this, could see it in his eyes. And she understood his fears. Hell, she shared them. She dropped her gaze to the ground for a moment. "Lex and Lionel...would have you in a room tortured in two seconds flat if given the chance," she told Sam quietly. 

"Which is why you need to be anywhere but here," Dean replied, still looking at Chloe though his words were directed at his brother.

Sarah took a step towards Chloe. "Don't you think, guys, that Sam could help us take this facility down, and others like it? I mean, think about it. He can read minds. It'd be so easy with everything he could learn." She looked away, not able to look Sam in the eye. 

"I'm not running away from this," Sam told them all, looking around the room. "And you can't keep me away from it, Dean." His gaze was intense. 

Chloe drew in a breath, slowly lifting her gaze to meet Dean's once more. "He's right." Her voice was soft. "They both are. And you know it too." 

God, she was beautiful when determined and right, he thought, staring at her before looking at Sam. "Alright," he replied in an even tone, not willing to betray his worry. "But if you die, I'm gonna bring you back to life and kill you." 

A faint smile tugged at Sam's lips and he gazed at his brother for a moment before turning to look at Chloe, then at Sarah. 

Her shy gaze met Sam's briefly. "There, was that so hard to admit?" she asked Dean with a smirk as she moved around them to pack her things. 

Chloe couldn't bring herself to smile. She'd been on the trail of the 33.1 story for as long as she'd been a reporter. And she knew it wasn't going to be easy. The Luthors lived in a Lion's Den. And the four of them were about to walk right into it.


End file.
